


Comes a Horseman

by cillasstuff



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jared, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, BAMF Jared, Bottom Jensen, Character Death, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Jensen, Top Jared Padalecki, Were-Creatures, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-01-01 02:18:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cillasstuff/pseuds/cillasstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a spell has been cast on his mate, Jared has to fight Jensen in order to breed him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Comes a horseman

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for SMPC

Jared sensed the moment that the arrow pierced the elk’s tough hide, or rather, his wolf did. He knew when the tip found the big animal’s heart and caused it to explode on impact, leaving the animal to bleed out in seconds. The fact that he could bring down an animal so much bigger than himself with a flick of his wrist and a steady eye made him feel strong, powerful, and omnipotent. It allowed no room for anyone to question his ability to be their pack leader, their Alpha.

The same skill that permitted him to bring down an animal ten times his size to feed his pack, also allowed him to protect them from their enemies. He was as legendary with his bow as he was in his wolf form, and few dared to challenge him.

He quickly jumped from the back of his horse—black as midnight and, at seventeen hands, large enough to carry it’s rider with ease—to field dress his prey so that he could carry it home to Jensen and prove that he was worthy of such a mate. 

Before his feet hit the ground, someone from his hunting party tried to beat him to his kill. In a move that belied the big man’s size, Jared had the pack member on his back with a knife to his throat before the man could breathe his next breath.

“Who are you that places his needs before that of the pack and tries to take a share before those who work harder and rank higher up in the pack than you do?”

When the man did not answer, Jared pressed the knife against his carotid artery and demanded, “Give me the answer that I seek before I bleed you in the same manner I would the elk.”

“I am a man who fights alongside his pack, his Alpha, while his Alpha’s barren mate is fed choice cuts as my starving family dines on scraps. I am Stephen Amell,” he proudly declared.  
The words against his mate made Jared see red! How dare he slander Jensen? 

He was not sure if they hurt because he and Jensen had not yet been blessed with pups after seven solstices together, or the fact that Amell had also accused Jensen of being lazy, of not earning his keep.

After a hunt, Jensen was the first to help divvy up the meat and skinned the hides. When a mother was overwhelmed, he helped take care of her pups. He learned the ways of the medicine woman so that he could help heal. As a matter of fact, if this mutt underneath him lived, Jensen would be the first to offer to help care for him.

“Jared, no!” Chad yelled as he grabbed the Alpha’s arm to prevent him from striking the man.  
Overlooking the glare from his Alpha, Chad leaned down so that he could whisper in Jared’s ear.  
Chad was his littermate and his most trusted confidant after Jensen, so his words carried a lot of weight with the young Alpha. “I know that your instincts are screaming at you to protect your mate’s honor, but if you kill this man in defense of Jensen… Trust me, no one would dare make a move against you, but if the pack thinks your childless Omega is not good enough for you, they will take this out on him.”

“I can protect my mate!” Jared growled, his canines threatening to distend.

“Who’s protecting right him now?” Chad asked, before softly stating, “Even if he would allow it, you can’t babysit him all the time. There will be some kind of pack business to take you away, making it impossible for you to always be there. Jared.”

Breaking away from Chad’s hold, Jared growled at Stephen, “Today is your lucky day. You live. But if any harm comes to my mate, there will be no place on earth that will be safe for you.”

Jared knew that Chad was right, but it still didn’t erase the desire to rip out the other wolf’s throat. He took one more menacing look at the man before turning his attention back to the large elk he had felled. Redirecting his aggression, Jared took a huge leg for Jensen and himself, leaving the rest for the pack.

As though sensing the anger in their pack leader, the rest of the hunting party watched in silence as Jared field-dressed the behemoth by himself before they took their share.

Once the elk had been dressed, Jared took one of the legs and the skin and tied it onto his horse, waiting for the others to take their share before heading back home. As he made his way back to the pack lands, Jared rode hard and fast, because he wanted—no, he needed—to get back to Jensen and see for himself that no harm had come to his mate. 

Once the meat had been divvied up, then they were on their way. Stephen Amell was nowhere in his sight, but Jared was sure that that was Chad’s doing. He was a new pack member who had made threats against Jensen, so it was still within the realm of possibility that Jared would rip out his throat.

Jared came to a stop at the cliff that overlooked his pack grounds and smiled. It was a beautiful sight, surrounded by mountains on all sides with great forests for hunting and running, and a trail running alongside the cliff was the only way into the valley.  
As he looked at the place he’d secured for the pack, he heard the sounds of horns blowing, alerting everyone that someone was entering pack lands. From this distance, they couldn’t tell who was entering so everyone would be on high alert until they recognized their leader. As he made his way down into the valley, he had to slow down and be careful not to cause damage to either himself or his horse.

It had taken him a long time to convince the pack that they should make use of the horses that were running through their land. As wolves, they could take down prey with no problem, but the larger animals could cause them more harm, so they watched the humans and learned how to work with the horses when they needed to. 

At first, it had been just him and Jensen on horseback. The graceful animals were wary of the shifters, but once they realized that they meant them no harm, they relaxed and were now at ease with the pack. Also, when the rest of the pack noticed how much more efficient the pair were, more and more of the pack learned to ride until it became commonplace. The other packs looked down on them, but they were able to feed and take care of their pack much more efficiently, causing other pack’s members to join them.

The largest horse in the herd belonged to him; it was seventeen hands and the only one that Jared didn’t dwarf. Jared smiled as he remembered how Jensen teased him about making the huge animals look like ponies.

As he galloped down into the valley that he’d helped secure with blood sweat and heard work, Jared was totally unaware that like the valley, several members of his pack considered him breathtaking as well and wanted his fruitless mate out of the way. They wanted to give him babies to pass on those strong genes, and stand at his side and be the envy of all those who saw them.

He was tall, five inches over six feet in his human form, and his wolf, with his chocolate brown coat and piercing yellow eyes, was equally as impressive. 

As he sat on his horse, his shoulder length hair was tousled by the breeze, and the sheen of perspiration and dirt highlighted his muscles as he held the reins to keep his horse steady.  
Jared wore loose leather breeches and a black studded harness with a pewter ‘O’ ring that joined it together at his sternum, making him look like a pagan god. He was certainly worshipped just as wantonly as one.

He and his black stallion moved as one, with a mesmerizing rippling sinew that caused both Omegas and Betas to produce slick from want.

Once he was surrounded by the pack, who had been waiting for the successful return of the hunting party, he was assaulted by the overwhelming smell of pheromones and none came from Jensen

He dismounted from his horse and grabbed the elk leg as he searched the crowd for Jensen. His feet had barely touched the ground before a young pup was there to take care of his horse, as he left to share his bounty with his mate.

With each step he took through the milling crowd, he was bombarded with unspoken offers of sex and a couple of Betas even bared their necks asking him to claim them.

He knew that pack law allowed him to choose a new mate if his chosen one could not bear him a child, but there was no way that he would disrespect or hurt Jensen by suggesting that he was inferior because he hadn’t had children. 

Jared felt no guilt when he snarled at the petite Omega, Sandy, as she made an offer of her body. She was lucky that all he did was snarl when he wanted the taste of her blood in his mouth for daring to insult his mate.

As he walked towards their den, Jared thought about what had happened during the hunt. Combined with the actions of the pack, it seemed that they had made the decision that Jensen was to go. Since Amell was new to the pack, he wondered if some of the new members that came with him felt the same.

They weren’t there when he’d taken over the pack, so they didn’t know how Jensen had fought alongside him to force back the attacks that had come when other packs learned of Jared’s youth. If they had been, they wouldn’t want Jensen replaced.

Apparently they didn’t understand: there was no one worthy of taking Jensen’s place, and if they thought that he was going to give Jensen up because they had suddenly decided that he had to go, then they had another thing coming.

He continued his frantic pace all the way to his den. Members were still trying to stop him; he was almost to the end of the pack gathering when he almost stumbled over two members who looked as though they’d been in a fight. Omegas were going to go into heat the next full moon; perhaps the fight for them had begun already. He’s have to get Chris and Chad to help reign in the Alphas before someone got hurt.

Finally, he made it past the throng of pack members. He hadn’t realized how much he’d hoped that Jensen would be there waiting for him until the disappointment washed over him. He adjusted the leg of meat and turned towards their den when the smell hit him.

Jensen was in heat.

“Jensen’s in your den,” a familiar voice said from behind him. “He went into heat early.”

“Heat?”Jared asked, worried about his mate as he turned to face the person addressing him. “Samantha it’s not time for him or any of the others to start their heat. It wasn’t due for another month.”

Even as Jared questioned Samantha, he knew from the sweet smell coming from their den that she was telling the truth. Even without that as evidence, he knew that the woman who’d reared him as her own would never lie to him.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he turned his head back towards his den.

“It seems that your enemy has more patience than you thought. He is trying to reclaim this pack. And that includes Jensen.”

“Jeffery Dean Morgan.” 

There was only one person who wanted to get back at Jared. Jared was sure that the pack members who had stayed with him and the ones that had joined him since were loyal to him, but they wouldn’t attack without the Alpha’s orders.

“Yes,”Samantha confirmed. “He’s come back for Jensen, but your death, the pack, and all of its holdings would be gravy on top.”

“How did he get Jensen’s heat started?” Jared asked. If Jeffrey Dean Morgan was able to do that, then he could have killed the Omega and Jared would have never known what happened.

“The new pack members,” Samantha answered. “Somehow they managed to get some of my herbs and gave them to Jensen. Theytried to take him to Morgan. The thing is... I think that this was a part of a spell that started before Morgan left. Jensen is not barren, just cursed.”

The meat he was carrying was getting heavy, so he placed it on the ground next to his feet as he let Samantha’s words sink in. Jensen wasn’t barren; all of this was Morgan’s fault. All of these years he’d watched as a part of Jensen died when he watched the others give birth and he was still childless. He’d never voiced his disappointment but he’d cried many nights in Jared’s arms over his inability to conceive.

“Wait,” Jared said, “you said that they tried. What do you mean they tried?”

“The members that Morgan sent gave Jensen the herbs and started his heat, but they didn’t take anything to ward them against the overpowering smell of an Omega in heat.”

“Jensen…did they?’’

“Like you, they forgot that the Omega is a warrior as well, and even in the throes of heat, he is able to keep his head about him. Besides, the spell Morgan used practically ensured that Jensen would try to rip their balls off,” she said with a slightly evil smile.

“What spell is that?” Jared asked.

“It’s old magic. It harkens back to when Omegas had to fight the strongest Alpha instead of the Alphas fighting for them,” she explained. “So when these stupid sons of dogs tried to breed your Omega, he fought. If you breed him now, it will break the spell.”

Jared thought about the two Alphas he’d passed a few minutes ago and instinctively knew that they were the ones. He’d take care of them later.

“I need to get to him,” Jared told her as he turned to make his way to Jensen.

“You were always impatient,” she mused. “Listen before you continue forward. Jensen is still under the spell and you can’t just stroll in there and expect Jensen to roll over; when you enter your den, he will attack.”

“Jensen will not attack me!” Jared told her confidently.

“He will because the spell will compel him to,” Samantha told him with a hint of impatience in her voice. “I performed a spell of my own. Well, I used herbs to make Welling and Rosenbaum immune to his heat so that they could guard him. Morgan’s men failed miserably and are sure to come back and try again.”

“Thank you for that.”

“This spell will last until his heat is gone, or until he is bred and falls pregnant, so he will be a wild thing. You are going to have to control this situation, Jared. You’ll need to control your Alpha, because if you don’t, you will hurt him.”

“Samantha, what do I do?” he asked, sounding like an inexperienced pup instead of the feared leader of the fastest growing pack in the region.

Pointing towards the meat at Jared’s feet, Samantha informed him, “I will take care of this. You take care of your mate. You’ll know what to do.”

Jared nodded his head and walked towards the den, scared of what he might find. At the mouth of the den, he found Tom and Michael guarding Jensen just as Samantha had advised him. He quickly dismissed them and made his way inside.

While he was letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the den after the bright sun from outside, a naked Jensen charged him, and with a side swipe of his feet, took Jared’s legs from under him and had him flat on his back like a pup in his first fight with his littermates.

Mate or not, Jared wasn’t going to lie back and get his ass handed to him. 

From where he lay on his back, he looked around the den to assess the situation so that he could figure out how best to handle the predicament he found himself in.

What he saw was his proud Omega naked, bloody, and bruised from his run in with Morgan’s men. He would find them later and take care of them. There would be no Chad to stop him this time.

He’d just promised Samantha that he would control this situation, but Jensen was marked by, not one, but two other Alphas, their scents warring in his nose with the delicious smell of Jensen’s heat. Between the two, Jared had to fight his Alpha, because it was screaming: Mine! Mate! Now!

Jensen was circling Jared as though trying to anticipate his next move, and Jared warily watched the cagey Omega. 

Now he could see what Samantha meant. Jensen’s eyes were wild and unfocused. He could tell that all of his mate’s instincts told him to fight, and Jared wouldn’t get near him without a battle. But if this could finally allow them to have that litter of pups they’ve both been wanting, then Jared wasn’t going to back down either.

Jared shook his head to clear it, because the smell was driving him crazy. When he looked at Jensen and saw the slick coating his thighs and that pretty cock standing proud and erect, his wolf fought harder to come out and take over.

As he fought his wolf, Jensen made his move and pounced towards Jared, who somehow managed to jump to his feet just in time. By virtue of being an Alpha, he was stronger than Jensen, but doesn’t mean that his mate wouldn’t give him a hell of a fight. 

Jensen landed in the spot that Jared had just barely vacated, allowing Jared to take advantage and leap forward, covering Jensen’s back with his arm wrapped around the Omega’s neck. For a second, Jensen tensed before relaxing and rubbing his ass into Jared’s crotch.

Jared was reveling in the feelings, thinking that the fight had been easier than he thought it would be, when he felt teeth bite into his arm as Jensen turned to make his escape. Jared grabbed him with his free hand.

As he held on to Jensen, his mate began flailing, and his canines and claws began to grow. Jensen raked his claws down Jared’s sides, eliciting a howl of pain as they ripped through Jared’s skin and the leather loin cloth that he wore.

Once the leather fell to the floor of the den, Jared’s arousal became more pronounced and Jensen stopped to inhale the rich scent before dropping to his knees in front of His Alpha.

Licking out his tongue, Jensen let the muscle glide from root to tip, but it wasn’t enough. Jared wanted—no, needed—to feel the heat of Jensen’s mouth. He placed his hands on either side of Jensen’s face to guide his cock into his mate’s mouth.

The sudden movement startled Jensen, and he butted his head into Jared’s stomach before scrambling away.  
“Ah,”Jared cried out in pain.

On the other side of the den, Jared could see that something had changed. Jensen’s eyes were still wild but with lust and not with fear. The smirk on his face told him that Jensen wanted to mate with him, but Jared would not be the one to dictate when or how.

Jared held his stomach and watched for Jensen’s next movement. He knew that they would be healed tomorrow, but he didn’t want to be unable to fuck Jensen tonight.

Jensen cocked his head and launched himself at Jared, but this time Jared was prepared. He stepped aside and Jensen landed on the ground with a thud. Jared was on him in a flash. If he’d thought that Jensen was going to give up because of a disadvantage, then he was mistaken.  
Quickly, he turned Jensen on his back because he wanted to see him. He tried to break through the spell, but with Jensen beating on his chest, he was unable to do so. Instead he leaned down and kissed the writhing man. Because he didn’t want to be hit by Jensen’s swinging hands, Jared grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head as he plundered Jensen’s mouth.

Jensen began moaning, and tried to take over the kiss by licking along the seam of Jared’s mouth and grinding his cock against Jared’s. When Jared kept his mouth closed, Jensen bit down hard on the offending lip, and damned if it didn’t turn Jared on more.

“C’mon Jensen, you want this too,” Jared pleaded as he licked his bleeding lip.

Jensen was no longer paying attention. He was kissing his way down Jared’s chest. He stopped at Jared’s nipples and he began to suckle. Jared wanted nothing more than to give into the pleasure of Jensen mouth, but he thought that it was not wise to let go of his hands yet.

It was a wise decision because Jensen went from laving his tongue over the hardened nub to biting down. Jared moaned aloud from the feeling of both pleasure and pain that went from his nipple to his cock and he dropped Jensen’s hands, allowing the smaller man to scuttle away.

Enough was enough, Jared turned to face Jensen again, and let his wolf come forward. He let out a ferocious growl and Jensen went from anticipating his next move to falling to his knees and presenting himself to his Alpha.

Apparently that was what he had been waiting for, his Alpha to show that he was superior, because now Jared was being assaulted in a different manner.

He smelled the delicious scent of a ripe Omega, ripe in a way that Jensen had never been before. Jared knew that this time, there was going to be pups.

Jensen’s hole was now fluttering and leaking more slick as his body prepared itself for Jared’s knot. Cautiously, Jared made his way over to Jensen, who immediately spread his legs to make room for his Alpha.

Jared wanted so badly to taste, but he still wasn’t sure that Jensen wouldn’t just reach up and punch him. But the scent and the sight of his Omega made him give in and kneel behind him, wrapping a long arm around Jensen’s waist and licking. The moan that fell from Jensen’s lips told him that the chase was over and he had won.

Jensen tasted differently as well, and Jared quickly became addicted. As he tried to get closer to Jensen to get more of that addicting flavor, Jensen tried to make his body more accommodating by resting his chest on the floor and spreading his legs as far as he could.

Jared teased Jensen, because he had to make up for the wild chase that his mate led him on. So when Jensen pushed his ass back, encouraging him to breach his rim, Jared pulled back.  
Jared smiled as he watched Jensen seek his mouth. Leaning forward, he placed his tongue along the rim and gave him kitten licks before letting the tip slip inside eliciting a soft “Jared,” from Jensen as he let his body lay lax.

As he felt Jensen relax, Jared removed his arm from his waist, and as he feasted on Jensen’s hole, his hand slid down Jensen’s stomach until he reached the heavily engorged cock and began to tug. Underneath him, he felt Jensen break apart.

It was as though Jensen’s body couldn’t handle the sensations, and he began to tremble from what Jared’s mouth was doing to him. But Jared wasn’t finished yet. Moving until he was sitting back on his haunches, Jared reached down and flipped Jensen over on his back before quickly moving back between Jensen’s legs.

With a grin that was just as feral as the one Jensen had been wearing earlier, Jared took Jensen’s cock in his mouth and began to move his head up and down as Jensen reached down and grabbed his lover’s hair and held on. He tried to fuck up into Jared’s mouth, but Jared grabbed Jensen’s hands again and held them down on the ground.

Once Jensen’s hands were still, Jared flattened his tongue against the large vein and let it slide up Jensen’s cock until he reached the head. There, he began to torment the bundle of nerves, before letting his tongue slide over the head and gather up the precome he found there. 

Looking at up at Jensen, Jared saw the man’s eyes were closed from the pleasure and he stopped his mouth from moving until Jensen opened those beautiful green orbs to see what was happening. Then he swallowed Jensen down and listened as his mate cried out as he came in Jared’s mouth.

Jared savored the taste of Jensen on his tongue as though he was tasting fine wine. Jared loved how beautiful Jensen looked with his body slack from release and his head turned to the side in submission.

The taste and the submission proved too much for Jared. He stopped fighting to hold his wolf at bay and let him out.

He turned Jensen on his stomach and dragged him to his knees before he felt his wolf take over. He felt bones realigning and hair sprouting through his skin before quickly mounting Jensen.  
There were going to be pups and, in his wolf form, Jared had a better chance of giving Jensen them. That was his last lucid thought as he slipped back between Jensen’s legs and lined up his cock up to Jensen’s hole and slid it inside.

As Jensen moved to spread his legs more, the wolf thought that Jensen was trying to move, so he bit down on the back of his neck and held him there as he began to thrust.

Each thrust went deeper inside Jensen’s tight channel, and the pointed tip made it easier to hit Jensen’s prostate with each stroke. He started off with long, slow strokes aimed to torture Jensen, and to make him beg.

Because he was still under the spell, all he could do was moan Jared’s name over and over as Jared’s cock moved in and out of him.

Jensen tried to move his head to nuzzle Jared, but he thought that his mate was still trying to get away and his mouth clamped down tighter on his neck as his strokes became shorter and his knot began to swell and catch on Jensen’s rim until they were tied.

Jared kept up the short, stuttered strokes, punishing that little bundle of nerves until Jensen came again, painting his stomach with ropes of come and milking Jared’s orgasm from him. 

Once Jared’s body had worked through the tremors, he placed his arm under Jensen’s stomach and gently rolled them onto their sides. As Jensen snuggled into Jared furry body, Jared sniffed at him. Again, he smelled the difference in Jensen and knew that this time there would be pups.  
Tonight they would celebrate. Tomorrow he would take care of Morgan.


	2. The Horsemans' Omega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new dawn, a new day; Jared tells Jensen what happened.

Jensen was sore. As he carefully disentangled himself from the prison of Jared’s arms and made his way to the back of the den, with each step he felt a new ache and pain. He was used to aches after a night with Jared, but there was nothing pleasurable about what he was feeling now.

When he and Jared found this valley, they knew it was perfect for their new pack, and this den, it was perfect for the new Alpha and his Omega. Not only was it was large enough to house the many pups they had planned on having as well as visiting guests’ but the vantage point allowed them to view any potential threat coming their way.

Jared liked to tease Jensen that he chose it for the natural hot springs in the back of the den and right now Jensen would agree.

His gait was slow as he made his way to the back of the den until he passed the room that he’d set aside as his birthing den. After the first two years as Jared’s mate and no pups, the room represented failure to Jensen while Jared still held on to the hope of future heirs.

There had been tearful prayers to Hera and Zeus but they had gone unanswered. Jensen knew that his time with Jared was running short, because the pack was growing restless and wanted proof that Jared was virile and entitled to lead them.

Jensen thought back to when Jeff Morgan attempted to mate him and as the pack leader, he was entitled to but neither Jeff nor Jensen had been prepared for the challenge from Jared. 

Jeff had gone to Jensen’s father and asked for the right to take Jensen as his mate, but when the wolf had deigned to turn the pack Alpha down and his oldest son agreed with his father’s decision, they thought that it was over. It wasn’t. Jeff was known for his patience and his thirst for vengeance, so he waited. Three weeks before Jensen was to begin his first heat, Jeff led a hunting party from their old pack grounds to the dense forest that had served as hunting grounds. The party had included all of the pack alphas including Jensen’s dad, older brother and Jared. 

No one is sure what happened, but in the end Alan and Josh Ackles were dead and as pack Alpha, Jeff could claim Jensen as his because his mother was a Beta who knew better than to tell the pack leader no unless she wanted to face him in the arena. 

She had another pup to think about so she gave Jeff permission to become Jensen’s mate. 

Even though he and Jared had made plans to mate when he went to his first heat, Jensen had resigned himself to never being Jared’s until the day before he went into heat. When Jeff came to the Ackles den to collect him, Jared challenged him for the right to mate Jensen, shocking everyone.

Right now Jensen wished that Jared had just allowed Jeff to claim him rather than knowing what it was like to be with the Alpha and lose him to someone who could give him pups.

Standing at the edge of the hot springs, as he looked down his body, Jensen bore witness to cuts and bruises that were in various degrees of healing. His lycanthrope genes assured that tomorrow they would all be gone, but today they hurt.

As he stood there and studied each blemish, Jensen couldn’t remember what had happened the night before, but as he slept, he had dreams of fighting off three Alphas. Two were familiar to him, but he couldn’t see their faces, but the third was Jared. That confused him because he couldn’t understand why he would fight off his mate.

There was one person in the pack, Sam who could tell him what these dreams meant, and he sighed and thought that he would visit her later; There had been another, shaman, Loretta, who was stronger and better, but she left with Jeff after his defeat. He would deal with all of that later, but for now he would soak his aching body..

“The only marks my Omega should wear should belong to me,” an angry Jared growled from behind Jensen.

As always the deep voice tinged with possessiveness sent a shiver of want through Jensen’s body as Jared stepped closer, wrapped his arms around Jensen, and let those large hands settle on his stomach, the shiver heated up and turned to fire.

“The only marks that matter are yours,” Jensen assured Jared.

Jensen’s words were meant to calm the big man, but as Jensen felt the hands on his stomach tighten as Jared pulled Jensen closer into his body, Jensen knew that they didn’t have the desired effect.

“Your peacemaking won’t work today, Jen,” Jared told the Omega. “Someone invaded our pack lands and tried to take you from me. Nothing you say can stop me from ripping out their fucking throats, especially when the stench from two different Alphas on your body burns my nose!” 

“I’m not trying to make peace Jared, I just want you to be rational and make plans before you initiate an attack,” Jensen reassured his mate. “I want you to come back to me.”

The memory of the fight between Jeff and Jared was not a pleasant memory. Jared won the battle, but just barely. It took all of Sam’s knowledge to patch up the almost mortal wounds Jeff had inflicted on the young Alpha.

There would be no rational conversation with Jared’s wolf being agitated that another Alpha dared touch his Omega, so once again Jensen extracted himself from Jared’s arms and slid into the pool of water until his head was immersed and the scents were gone.

When he could no longer hold his breath, Jensen surfaced and made his way to one of the steps Jared had carved from the stone and stared at Jared, who hadn’t moved and lost his breath again at the sight of this beautiful man.

Jared was taller than anyone Jensen knew and from this vantage point starting at his feet; Jensen let his eyes travel up Jared’s mile long legs until they came to the Alpha’s full sac then to the root of his cock where it nestled in the nest of pubic hair.

From there his eyes traveled the seemingly equally long cock, past his knot that would balloon to five times its current size once it was buried inside him up to the large mushroom head so thick and full that it was purple and leaking precome.

As his eyes continued their upward journey, for the first time since he woke up, Jensen noticed that Jared was still wearing the leather harness that he had worn on his hunt.  
Jensen had made the harness himself from one of the large elk that Jared had killed during a hunt. He remembered how pleasurable it had been measuring Jared for it. By Zeus, he wished that he could remember last night.

He took in the beauty that was Jared, Jensen noticed that Jared bore marks of his own, but even though he could not remember, Jensen knew that those were his marks. Once he settled his sight on Jared’s face, he took in the hooded eyes, the shallow breathing and how his mate barely restrained his wolf and moaned.

He couldn’t feel it as he was sitting in water, but he knew that he was wet and if he wasn’t sitting in the water, his thighs would be covered in his slick.

The desire coursing through his body sealed his throat shut, so instead of asking Jared to join him, Jensen reached out his hand and suddenly Jared was in the water looming over him. Jensen was sure that he was scenting to make sure the smell of the other Alphas was gone.

Instead of kissing him, Jared teased his mate, a kiss along his jaw, to that sensitive spot behind his ear and the corner of his mouth.

Enough was enough, Jensen reached up and grabbed the harness and pulled Jared forward until their mouths met. Usually Jensen let Jared take control, but today instead of letting him dictate, Jensen put aside his normal submissiveness and began to battle for control.

With visions of fighting for dominance playing in his head, Jensen was aware that he could not overpower his Alpha with brute strength so he had to be clever. As they continued with dueling tongues, Jensen swiped his over Jared’s bottom lip, eliciting a groan from the large man.

“Fuck, Jensen,” Jared groaned.

Jensen was looking for this opening. That rare moment to catch his mate off guard, Jensen used the buoyancy of the water, Jared’s relaxed body and that harness to flip him over and end up on top. 

Before Jared could return the favor, Jensen kept him penned with the friction of their cocks rubbing against each other and a kiss that told the big man that Jensen was running the show.

Feeling heady from the feeling of being in control and grinding against Jared, Jensen kept grinding against Jared until he felt his knot swelling and he knew that if he didn’t get Jared inside him soon, they wouldn’t be able to tie and that would be frustrating for them both.

Keeping his mouth fused to Jared’s Jensen reached around to is hole to stretch himself open, but changed his mind. He might not remember last night, but the flashes he’d been seeing all day told him that they’d fucked and that meant that he was probably still open.

Wanting to still feel Jared when they had to face the shit storm that he was sure was waiting for them outside their den, instead Jensen lifted his hips and ran his hand from base to tip along Jared’s cock and lined it up to his hole and sank down.

Once Jared’s swelling knot reached his rim, Jensen slowly began to work it inside until he was fully seated. 

“If you’d waited a few seconds more I wouldn’t be able to get this in me,” Jensen told Jared.

“Already in a bad mood, if I hadn’t been able to tie you, there really would be hell to pay.”

As Jensen began to ride Jared, he became lost in the sensations, and each time Jared hit his prostate, Jensen let out a soft howl until he felt Jared’s hand on the small of his back attempting to turn him over. 

Jared tried to turn him to the right, but Jensen used his position to put Jared on his back again, but he hadn’t counted on Jared trying again.

Had they been on the bed, Jared would have had the advantage, but Jensen’s position and the water favored him. Of course, that didn’t stop Jared from trying, Jensen supposed that it was an Alpha thing and they continued to jockey for position until Jensen had had enough.

He wanted to take Jared’s arms and hold them over his head, but he couldn’t reach that far because they were tied, so he used his muscles and clamped down on Jared’s cock, and leaned forward and suckled Jared’s sensitive nipples until he felt the man go lax.

Once Jared stopped fighting and gave in to the pleasure that Jensen was giving them both, he moved his hand and Jensen instantly growled at him and swatted his hand away.

“Fucking stop it Jen, I have to touch you,” he explained as he slowly moved until his hand was between them tugging Jensen’s cock.

With Jared working his cock, Jensen was sure that his Alpha wasn’t going to try to reverse their positions and he began to ride Jared in earnest. 

He gave into the sensations until he felt he would come from a mere touch. He bore down on Jared’s cock then fucked into the large hand surrounding his. Each time he moved the warm water caressed his body making him feel as though Jared was touching him everywhere.

He could feel himself chasing his orgasm, so he moved faster, pulling up on Jared’s cock until he felt the almost painful tug at his rim. Then the fire that had been kicking at his belly began to burn hotter and hotter until it moved down his spine and blew out his dick.

When he came he felt his hole squeeze Jared making his knot grow larger until he heard Jared mewl like a newborn pup, and then felt the first warm spurt of come in his channel.

This time he let Jared reposition them on the step without a fight. His now liquid bones would not allow him to put up as much as a protest.

Jensen felt content as he felt Jared’s come still filling him up, but leaving him empty. As he looked towards the den he’d set up all those years ago, he felt tears roll down his cheeks.

“What’s wrong Jen?” Jared asked worriedly. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” Jensen sniffed. “It’s just…it’s just that I wish this time there would be pups.”

Jared placed his hand under Jensen’s chin and tried to turn his Omega to face him, but Jensen jerked away. All of these years he’d been successful at hiding his disappointment at failing Jared, and even though he’d broken down and began to cry, he didn’t want to see the same disappointment in Jared’s eyes as he lied to him by saying that he was okay about not having pups.

“Look at me, Jensen!” Jared demanded and he once again turned Jensen to face him. “What do you remember about yesterday?”

“Jar…” Jensen complained.

“What do you remember Jen?”

“I remember helping the Amell Omega with her pups while she did her chores, but I had to leave because of my heat. My heat started and I had to get back to our den,” Jensen remembered. “After that everything is a blur.”

“Jeff Morgan,” Jared spat.

Jeff Morgan, he was someone Jensen would never forget. “What did Jeff have to do with my heat Jared?”

“Not just your heat, but the reason we’ve never had pups. According to Sam he’d cast some kind of spell and while I was away with the hunting party, he sent in some of his pack to reverse it. That tells me that he didn’t reverse it for any reason, so I will have to put everyone on look out.”

“Is he planning to come for me?” Jensen asked.

“I think so, but this time he won’t walk away,” Jared promised as he lowered his hand to Jensen’s stomach. “Your heat is gone, that means pups. Our pups and I will die before he touches you!”

Before Jensen had a chance to respond he felt Jared’s knot finally deflate and he immediately missed the connection that made him feel as though they were one.

“Pups?” he questioned as he placed his hands over Jared’s.

“Jared!” Chad’s voice echoed loudly through the den interrupting the moment, “Jared come quick, Amell has convinced some of the pack that Jensen must go and they are headed this way with every intention of killing Jensen!”


	3. The Wrath of the Horseman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Jared and Jensen discover that Luna has blessed them with a pup, pack members threaten their newfound happiness so Jared puts an end to the threat,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally an entry for smpc, and intended to be a one shot, but with the encouragement from readers I wrote a second part, but I was not sure where I wanted to go with the story. Then one night the rest came to me and I have finished this in five parts. I hope that there is someone still waning to read.

“No!” Jared growled at Chad’s words. The growl was so loud and so fierce that it shook the walls of the stone den.

Jared’s first instinct was to protect Jensen and their unborn pup so he stood in front of his mate as though the threat was in the room with them. He was going to go outside, no one was entering into his home, but he had to know that Jensen was protected. 

As experienced a fighter as Jensen was, Jared knew that he would be worried if he were out there in the fray.

“Chad, as my second I’m making it your responsibility to protect Jensen and our pup from my enemies.”

“No, Jared,” Chad denied fiercely, “as your second it is my place to be beside you in battle, not playing nursemaid to your Omega!”

Jared could see that Jensen was becoming angry and ready to validate Chads point, but he stopped them both cold.

“Had you let me kill Amell earlier, then this conversation would be for naught. Let him live you said, it would be better for Jensen. Tell me Chad, how is this better? Protect my mate or it will be your life that hangs in the balance!” he warned before he shifted and leapt towards the dens entrance.

Once outside the den, Jared knew that he was not facing the mob alone; all of his senses told him that those in his elite circle were close by if he needed them.

As he walked towards the group led by Amell, Jared scented the air and knew that Aldis, Christian, Tom, Mike and even Megalyn were there and as with Chad and the den, Jared trusted them with his life. 

The only key member of his group who was missing was Idris and he was not present because he volunteered to guard the pass into the pack lands last night to allow their pack mate A.J. to be present when his mate Travis delivered their first pup. 

Despite his eagerness to rip out this traitor’s throat, Jared took his time and sauntered as though he didn’t have a care in the world until he was facing Stephen who had to stand and wait for him.

Walking to his enemy also served another purpose, if Jared went to them, which meant that he was away from the den, keeping Jensen out of harm’s way.

“Hand him over to us and we’ll make sure that he doesn’t suffer, he’ll die quickly,” Amell told Jared once he stood in front of the smaller Alpha.

“Stop, Stephen,” Sandy pleaded with her friend. “No one going to kill Jensen, Morgan wants him and will take care of him. He’s blessed that a powerful Alpha wants a barren Omega.”

“This Alpha wants this Omega, barren or not. He will bear my pups in a few month’s time, so his ability to give me progeny is no longer an issue.”

“I’m sure you believe that Jared, but time has proven him barren. I know he’s your mate, but Jared, you must break his bond and choose a new mate or lose your place as our Alpha. Diana and Luna have both given us signs that tell us it is time Jared. The pack has spoken and I’m to be your new mate.” She proudly advised.

For the first time, Jared looked at the small group assembled before him and he was not sure if he was more hurt or disappointed. After Sandy’s display this afternoon, Jared was not surprised to see her here. He had given her some leeway after the incidence earlier because she was Sam’s daughter, but there was only so much lenience that he would afford her.

Sandy was using the love that Jared felt for her mother, the woman who essentially, was his mother, to be brave enough to step to him without fear. He bore his canines in a wicked grin when he sensed the change in her eyes and smelled the scent of fear when she realized that she was wrong.

The thing was she and Amell were not alone, there was also Sterling, Genevieve, and Matt and Misha, and several others standing there, waiting for a chance to hurt his mate.

Their presence made his wolf deaf to her reasoning, Jared’s time was better spent concentrating on deciphering his enemy. Like Amell, several of the people standing beside him were new to the pack, and had joined in the past solstice because they were pack-less. Weren’t they? 

However, not all of them were new to the pack; Misha and his mate Matt, Sandy and Dick were all born into this pack, were littermates with him and Jensen. The thought of their betrayal really brought his wolf to the surface now, because the only thought in his mind was protectmineprotect.

There were others he’s sure, because Chad had been telling him things for a while, but he had been so goddamned cocksure that he placed Jensen’s life in jeopardy, but he would die defending his Omega. Later, Jared would suss the others out, but first he had to deal with the bastard standing in front of him.

Shift! Jared’s wolf ordered telepathically.

Despite the fact that he was challenging his pack Alpha, Stephen's wolf automatically obeyed the command of said Alpha, shifted, and was soon on all fours in a beautiful coat of tan, eye to eye with the most dangerous wolf in the pack.

At first, they circled one another as though daring the other one strike first. Jared knew that he was going to let the smaller wolf make the first strike, allowing him to feel as though he had the upper hand. When Amell did strike, it was head on.

The upstart came at Jared rearing up on his hind legs in an attempt to rake long nails across the Alpha’s face; mimicking the smaller wolfs stance, Jared blocked the attempt and was able to land his blow, drawing first blood. 

After being knocked back by Jared large paw, Amell quickly regrouped and began to circle again, but this time with a purpose. This time he didn’t take the larger wolf head on, he bit at his hind legs it an attempt to bring him down.

The tactic worked and before Jared knew it, he was on the ground with that bastard going for his throat. Jared managed to twist his large body from beneath Amell, but not before the tan wolf drew blood of his own.

Amell gave Jared a bloody grin, circled him before mocking telepathically; “when I finish you and take over the pack, I might just fuck Jensen myself before I kill him. I’m supposed to hand him over to Morgan - because he’s got a hard on for your Omega - but I don’t think so. I’ll be Alpha and Jensen will make a good example to keep everyone in line.”

The words were intended to make Jared angry and they succeeded, but instead of losing his cool, Jared struck. While Amell was celebrating the aptly placed barb, he failed to notice that Jared had stopped circling him. It gave Jared the advantage and allowed him to jump on Amell’s back, and began to sink teeth wherever he found purchase. 

The first bite was not a kill, but it was a well-placed one to an artery that caused his opponent to lose a lot of blood fast. The next bite was just as serious and the next few were designed just to toy with his prey.

Had Jared not been in killing frenzy, he could have heard the gasps from the wolves gathered around them as they heard flesh tear and bones break.

“Jared stop!” Sandy cried out, wanting to protect her friend, knowing that it was too late.

Once his wolf tasted the blood, there was no stopping. The lifeblood had rushed into Jared’s mouth from the artery he severed with razor sharp teeth and was like a power surge as it drained life from the body beneath his. 

The blood tasted warm, metallic, and satisfying. It tasted like victory, and when he turned the now sluggish body over and ripped his throat to shreds, it was triumph.

Jared shifted back to his human form, naked and covered in blood, his pupils were dilated and his chest was heaving from the exhaustion, but he was ready to take on any more comers.

“You didn’t have to kill him,” Sandy sobbed as she ran towards her friends’ body, but Jared quickly shifted and jumped towards her until his paws struck her chest knocking her to the ground.

His wolf still at the surface was furious, this was his kill, and how dare she try to touch it. He hovered over her with blood and saliva dripping from his mouth onto hers, his nostrils blowing hot air into hers as though they were sharing the same breath. Jared was silently daring her to move, wanting her too so that he could put a permanent end them sharing the same air.

He could smell her fear and reveled in her whimpers as she lay there, trying to keep her body still. He could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest. His wolf was chanting, eatiteatiteatit and Jared was not sure why he was fighting his wolfs demands. She deserved nothing less for daring to touch his kill. However, she didn’t move.

When he was satisfied that she was not going to bother the body, he moved off her, and watched to see if anyone else was going to be as foolish.

No one made a move, not even to help Sandy.

Jared shifted again, and stepped back from Sandy. Once he was at least two feet from her, she quickly got to her feet and ran to her friends.

“He stays there until I say different,” Jared instructed as he hit his chest for emphasis.

“If any of you that feel the same as he did, you can leave at first light, no one’s asking you to stay. If you do, you will be branded bondus Omega. Any bond you have formed will be broken making you available for anyone who wants to use you. 

He walked over to his former littermate and friend, and sneered, “Being branded bondus Omega won’t bode well for you or your pretty little mate Misha.”

Jared could hear Jensen in his head calling out for confirmation that his mate was okay. He wanted to get back to Jensen, to reassure him that he was victorious, but he was careful not to turn his back on his enemies before he made it back to the mouth of the den. 

To turn his back would have been foolish, to do so would have meant certain death and he has no wish to die.

Once he was sure that no one else was going to challenge him, Jared made his way back to his den, to Jensen to show his Omega that all he suffered was a flesh wound.

 



The rest of the morning Jared was restless. He had ended his immediate threat, but he knew that something else was coming. He could feel it in his bones. 

He stayed true to his word and left Amell’s body out in the open and he would stare out of the mouth of his home, daring anyone who came near to touch it. Only his mate attempted to approach it anyway. Even the vultures would not come and feast on the traitor’s body, they settled for what was left of the elk carcass from yesterday’s kill. 

The only people that Jared allowed in his den were the group that stood with him and his mate at first light. The only exceptions were Idris, A.J. and the woman who came to plead with him now. 

The sun had not yet reached its highest point and already those who had banded together with Amell had been vanquished from the Padalecki Pack and all of its territory. That included Sandy.

“Hello, Jared,” she greeted softly as though not to spook him.

“She betrayed me Den,” Jared stated flatly, “She was a part of the threat to me and my mate and she had to go.”

“She’s my daughter, Jared. My flesh and bone,” Sam pleaded.

Jared stared at her, this woman before him was not the second most powerful shaman this pack had ever known, but she was a mother, pleading for her child and as much as he wanted to give in, Jared remembered that her child wanted to kill his mate.

“She can stay Sam, but she will be bondus. If I made an exception for her, then I would have no reason not to make one for the rest of them. Amell left his family unprotected because of his greed, and Misha was not the friend I thought him to be. I will not make an exception for them, nor will I for Sandy.”

“She’s young, stupid and impetus…”

“No exceptions, Sam. With your power and visions, only Loretta was better than you are,” he said mentioning the former pack shaman who had left with Morgan when Jared defeated him. “So you had to see it, know what she was doing. Why didn’t’ you stop her or at least warn me?” Jared questioned.

“I thought that their plans would not come to fruition.”

“Then you thought wrong,” Jared, advised her before turning his back to dismiss her.

“She didn’t convince you to let Sandy stay huh, Alpha?” Chris asked as he passed a crying Sam on his way in,”

“No, Jared confirmed. “She made her choice and I made mine.”

As Chris was giving him a report on the state of the pack after this morning’s failed coup attempt, Jared was only half listening. He watched as Jensen began to move from their room to hover in front of his den. 

“It must be true then,” Chris smiled and interrupted the report he was giving his Alpha. “Jensen really is pregnant.”

When Jared heard those words, for a moment Jared bore no resemblance to the pack Alpha who struck a note of fear in his enemies, and gave Chris a dimpled smile that answered without words.

“Yes!” he answered enthusiastically and cocked his head towards, his Omega still standing outside of the den. “But it looks as though Jensen is having a hard time believing it as well.”

Chad walked in and caught the end of the conversation between the two men. Although he did not voice his concern, the look on his face telegraphed it.

“I’m fine,” Jensen muttered, exasperation clearly heard in his voice.

“We did not…” Jared started.

“Do you not think that I missed the looks of poor Jensen on your faces? And you, Jared,” he pointed at his mate, “should know better. You are my mate; therefore I can feel and hear your every emotion and thought.”

“Sorry,” the three of them mumbled.

“It’s just that we have even more to worry about now that you are with pup. You have the Packs future nestled under your heart, and we have to protect you at all costs.” Chad apologized.

Jared could feel that Jensen was not angry, he was just using that emotion to cover up another: Fear. His Omega was terrified of what had happened and their unclear future and that made Jared angrier that he was this morning.

His Omega was pregnant after seven long bitter solstices, and they should be celebrating. There should be music; the pack should be dancing and feasts that last five, no seven moons to celebrate this new life. Other Omegas should be lining up to be the one to help care for the pack's Omega, but instead there is only hatred and fear.

Sensing that his mate wanted to be left alone, Jared walked Chris and Chad to the dens entrance to finish discussing Pack business, but Jensen just followed them.

“Was everything okay with the patrols last night?” Jared questioned. Two men had sneaked onto their lands and attacked Jensen so someone should have seen something. “With an uprising in the making, I expected something to happen. I don’t want to be caught holding my cock when it does.”

“I haven’t spoken to A.J. or Idris, this morning,” Chris, informed him. “But with everything that happened this morning, I could have missed him.”

“As his pups are due today, I’m pretty sure that A.J. made a beeline for Travis, but it’s not like Idris not to report after a patrol, no matter how uneventful the night has been,” Chris said with a frown.

“Nor is it like him to pass up on good fight,” Chad interposed.

“Chris,” Jared said urgently.

“I’m on it Alpha,” he answered as he turned and ran from the den.

“Oh, god, how could I forget, “Jensen asked rhetorically. “In all of the excitement, I forgot that the pups are due today. 

He turned to follow Chris from the den but he was stopped when a large hand grabbed his upper arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jared growled.

“I promised Travis that I would be there for the birth,” Jensen explained as he narrowed his eyes and looked down at Jared’s bruising grip.

Chad sensed that he was not needed for this conversation and hastily walked past the Alpha and Omega, leaving them to talk in private.

“I cannot let you do that Jensen, not today,” Jared told his using a soft tone that brooked no argument. Well from anyone who wasn’t Jensen.

“I promised him that I would help, Jared. This is his first litter and he’s terrified.”

“So am I,” Jared told him.

Jensen still looked at Jared’s hand on his arm, but instead of removing it, Jared used it to guide the Omega to the mouth of the den and using his free hand to point down at Amell’s corpse.

“They wanted that to be you, Jensen,” he husked. “People we considered to be friends-some family even- and some of them still want that to be you. Until we know who we can trust, I’m sorry Jensen, but you have to stay in my sight.”

Jared watched as Jensen looked to the right towards Travis’ den. His full lips trembled in the anger that the Alpha could feel coming off him in droves, but he knew that Jensen would take heed.

“Okay, Jared,” Jensen said, “you’ve made your point both with them and Amell. Let go of my arm and give Chad the order to move Amell’s body.”

Jensen delivered his edict and walked back inside and Jared knew that he should not follow.



Chris had shifted as soon as he had left the alpha’s den and his first stop had been to see Travis, or rather A.J. According to the Omegas in attendance, the alpha had not returned from patrol. Chris made up a story about how he had forgotten that A.J. was supposed to be in a meeting with the Alpha and he had to hurry to make it on time.

He was sure that no on bought is story, especially after the melee this morning. His next stop was to the foot of the mountains that was the only entrance into the pack lands. He scented the area for the missing men, and only caught faint scents from either.

If they were still there, their scents should be stronger, so Chris cautiously made his way further into the wooded area they used for cover. Under the canopy, he caught a stronger whiff of both men’s scents, but found something more troubling.

There were four sets of tracks and only two scents. How was that possible? Chris looked again and he was sure that there were four sets. Three males and a female. The longer he followed the scents, the stronger they became, mixed with something else. 

Blood. Blood and silver.

Chris wanted more than anything to hurry and find his pack mates, but he could not be careless, as it could mean life or death. The scent became stronger the longer he walked and he noticed that one of the wolves were dragging his hind legs and that the trail was leading him to a familiar place, Idris’ home.

Idris’ den was not like Jared’s and he could easily be surprised, but this time it was Chris who was surprised. There, crumpled at the mouth of the den, was A.J. looking as though he was bleeding out. 

As he reached the body, he noticed that his breathing was shallow, but he was still alive. Wanting to get his downed brethren help, Chris threw his head back and howled, giving his location and that help was needed.

He heard a commotion behind him, and Chris turned to see Idris approaching him. 

He needs help, Chris telepathed to the tall dark skinned man, and was about to shout for him to watch out when Idris raised a gun and leveled it at Chris and piercing his skin with a silver bullet.

His first thought was why, but before he closed his eyes, he had his answer, J.D. Morgan.


	4. The Horseman's Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared learns who his true friends are.

.

 

Jensen watched as Amell’s body was removed from the pack gathering ground. Everything of importance for them took place here. He guessed that it made sense that Jared defended his leadership here. This was the first death in the five solstices since they found this place, or rather Jared earned these lands.

While they had never been particularly close, Jensen couldn’t believe that the man had hated him enough to want him dead.

Jensen had been in Stephen’s den, looked after his pups and helped nurse his mate, Danneel back to health after she had somehow managed to accidentally ingest belladonna. It wasn’t enough to kill her, but it had been enough to make her wish that she was dead. Had she been human, she probably would have been.

In the end, it did kill her ability to bear life, and they had bonded over that. Perhaps that was why Amell did not like him because Jensen reminded his mate that she was barren.

She did not need Jensen for that. Danneel was an Omega, unlike betas they were born to nurture and give life, and if that ability was taken away, it was like a little death each day. No, she was aware of her infertility with every breath she took.

Jensen wanted to go the pyre with her as she burned her mate’s body. It was part of his duty as pack Omega, but Amell had challenged Jared and had been very publicly killed, so even if Jared had okayed Chad to escort him to the releasing of Amell’s soul back to Luna, it would have been an awkward situation.

Not only would the situation be awkward, but the pyre oft brought back bad memories. 

His father. His brother. 

Both souls had been cleansed through the funeral pyre and returned to Luna, but well before their time. Each time he viewed a shrouded body and smelled the acrid burning flesh, he thought of them and hoped that they didn’t blame him for their deaths.

There was nothing special about him, so Jensen’s not sure why Jeff singled him out, but he did. Had he known all of the hurt that would be caused for not wanting to mate with the older man, it would have been painful, but would he have turned Jared away? 

He had resigned himself to his fate, but Jared challenged Jeff and even if Jensen had spurned Jared, the fight would have taken place. Jeff had to take on all challengers or he would have been seen as weak and that was not a trusted trait for a pack leader.

Jared emerged as the victor and he won both Jensen and the pack but he refused to kill the former pack leader, instead he chose to let him go.

Looking at the smoke rising from Amell’s body, that was a poor decision on Jared’s part.

Jensen never understood the reason for letting the Alpha go, but then he had never understood the reasoning for the death of his parent and sibling. He had always believed that had his little sister Mackenzie had been an Alpha, he would have killed her too.

Everyone assured him that this was the way of the Alpha, but how could he be expected to lay with the man who had destroyed his family and had expressed this to Jared.

Had that been what spurred Jared, a green young Alpha, to challenge such an experienced one? 

Whatever his reasoning, it had been a thing of beauty to watch as Jared defeated Jeff. No one, including Jensen, had expected Jared to win, but he did.

He won all of the ones after as well.

For the first six months during his reign as pack Alpha, he was challenged for that right. He became an even better fighter and a more ruthless one, because Jeff was the only one he let go free. The rest were offered to Luna.

It took the defeat of a vicious neighboring pack for the challenges to end. With only a small group of friends fighting alongside him, Jared earned his right as Alpha, when he defeated the pack now harboring Jeff. It didn’t hurt that one of the spoils of war was the pack lands they now called home.

Jared and Jensen quickly assembled a council they trusted and included some of the defeated pack’s members. Those that were loyal to the dead Alpha, left and the rest assimilated with the Padalecki Pack.

It’s funny how that this pyre was the one to bring all of those bad memories back. 

Jensen had almost convinced himself that it was just hormones, until he heard Chris’ howl.

When the howl turned from a call for help to one of pain before he went silent, Jensen knew that his world was about to be turned upside down once again.

Chris was his Chad, his second, his friend and he wanted to get to his friend, but the stance of the huge Alpha at the entrance of their den told him that was not going to happen.

“You are not leaving here Jensen,” Jared advised from the door of the den.

Jensen kept his back to Jared; his thoughts still centered on the fact that he needed to go, to do something instead of being held stagnant inside their den. It had only been a day and he was already going stir crazy.

Perhaps he didn’t need to go if he allowed a man as big as Jared to sneak up on him. He hadn’t even heard so much as a whisper. How did a man so big walk so quietly?

“Is that my Alpha or the pack Alpha’s orders?” Jensen asked sarcastically.

“Whose ever orders will keep you safe,” Jared responded matter of factly.

As much as he wanted to Jensen could not fight those words because he knew that no argument he put forth would change Jared’s mind, but he at least had to put up a fight.

“It’s Chris, Jared,” he pleaded. “The man would walk over hot coals or me and this pack; he should know that we would do the same for him.”

“If you were not with child, it would never cross my mind to stop you. Hell, you would have shifted and been on your way before his warning turned into a call for help. You are pregnant, Jensen and your subconscious knows it as well, that you need to keep our pup safe, otherwise you would not make me the bad guy for wanting to protect you and our future.”

“Jared…” Jensen started. His words failed him, as he didn’t know what he wanted to say or plead for. He wanted his friend back safe, so his frustrations were voiced when he said his Alphas’ name.

“You must realize that you are not the only one concerned for his safety. Our trusted allies and more importantly, his mate are on their way to find him; you have to learn to be patient.”

There was something in Jared’s voice and a feeling over their bond that told him that there was something amiss. He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, so Jensen turned around and faced his mate.

“What are you not telling me Alpha?” he cocked his head and asked.

“Idris… Idris and A.J. did not return from patrol this morning and I do not know what fate has befallen them. Nor am I sure that Chris has not met the same fate.”

The wait for the return of the others was interminable, but the relief of seeing them come over the horizon was short lived when he saw the bodies.

Aldis, Megalyn, and Chad had taken the horses, while Steve, Chris’ mate and Tom and Mike had shifted and raced ahead.

There was a body on the back of a riderless horse and another person sharing a horse with Aldis. The problem was that Jensen could not identify who was dead and who was hurt.

As they approached the den, it was easy to tell that the body was that of A.J. and he gave thanks to Luna that it was not Chris’ body on the lone horse and immediately felt guilty.

How could he be happy that one friend’s life had been spared at the cost of another?

“Oh, god, Jared, Travis. Do you think he knows?” Jensen worried.

The words had had barely been uttered when a mournful howl could be heard.

“Yeah, Jensen I think he knows.”

 



Another day another offering to Luna, as Jensen stood with the rest of the pack as Travis lit the pyre; all he could think was what the hell was going on? Yesterday they could have celebrated his announcement and today the arrival of new pups to the pack. However, as the sun rose the next day it was greeted with sadness.

As he stood mesmerized by the fire that Jared had lit this time because Travis was too shaken to do so, he wondered how he factored in all of this. He touched his stomach in a protective gesture and felt that his pup was the key to all of this madness. But how, he wasn’t sure.

Everything was a mess. In addition, Amell both dead and Chris damned near. He had been shot with a silver bullet that had penetrated his arm and missed anything vital. Jensen gave thanks to Luna, as well as Zeus and Hera that the bullet did not hit an artery and entered his blood stream resulting in silver sepsis, for which there was no cure. 

Even though he was suffering right now, he still was faring better than their fallen friend, who had been shot through the heart with a silver bullet, giving him no chance of survival.

Jensen glanced over at Sam, and wondered if she was really helping them, or just pretending to help knowing that Chris would die.

It had taken her over an hour to arrive at the den once Chris had been brought in. Her excuse was that she was with Travis delivering the new pups. Jensen didn’t buy that excuse because there were more than enough capable midwives to help him.

“You couldn’t save my daughter but you expect me to come running to save your friend,” she spat at Jensen once Jared was out of her sight.

“Your daughter wanted me dead, Sam, so you’ll forgive me if I have no sympathy for her plight,” Jensen reminded her, and besides she didn’t die, she was just banished.”

“She might as well be, Jensen she’s alone out in the elements while you’re here safely ensconced on your throne,”

“So I’m supposed to proceed as though she didn’t want me dead while she took my mate? If you are so angry and don’t want to help this pack, why did you stay? “

“Jared needs me,” she simply stated.

“I am a part of Jared and this baby even more so. If you can’t deal with that, then perhaps you need to leave and give your apprentice a chance to practice what he’s learned from you.”

“I have every right to be angry,” She said.

“That you do,” Jensen agreed, “but it’s misplaced. You should be angry with Sandy for placing you in this position of having to choose, and angry with yourself. You are supposed to be this powerful shaman, yet you did not see this coming and put a stop to it. You claim to love Jared, and had you cared as much as you say that you do, and then you should have warned him.”

“Where is Jared’s friend?” she asked placing an emphasis on Jared’s name and ignoring Jensen’s question.

Jensen, Steve and Megalyn all stood guard as Sam treated Chris. Jensen was not so sure if he or Steve would have known if she was helping or in fact hurting him, but the way Megalyn took note of everything she used and visibly relaxed as the were mixed and measured, he felt that one of them had some idea.

During the lighting of the pyre, Jensen watched Sam for a hint of a clue that she knew what was going on but she gave him nothing.

He did not mingle with the pack, or eulogize A.J., but in all fairness, she did stay close to Travis. Normally he wouldn’t have left his den until the pups were six weeks old, but he needed to say goodbye to his mate.

When the first pack member left the gathering, Samantha convinced Travis to do the same, citing exhaustion and the need to get back to his pups.



“How could he have just disappeared?” Jensen heard Jared ask, the frustration making him growl and place the others even further on edge.

As Jared’s Omega, Jensen should have been included in any pack meetings, but since the end of his heat, Jared has been treating him like glass. He understood the reasoning behind the treatment, but not to the point where he was being excluded from council meetings.

“Perhaps he’s still in his den somewhere,” Aldis suggested. “I mean we’ve hardly ever been inside how do we know that we aren’t missing a door or an entrance, something. There’s no way he just vanished.”

“Something weird is going on and that’s for sure,” Tom suggested. “There were no prints paw, or foot around his den and that included both Chris and A.J. Theirs should have least been there.”

“What about scents?” Jensen asked from where he stood in the entrance of the room used to hold the meeting. “There had to be scents.”

“No,” Chad shook his head. The only thing we smelled was blood and silver.”

After Chris had been brought back to the den, the council members went back to Idris’ place, did a thorough search, and found nothing. There were no track, no scents, and no Idris.

For the past week, it seemed as though they had been chasing their tails and coming up with naught. Their working theory was that whoever killed A.J. and hurt Chris had kidnapped Idris to gain what knowledge of their pack.

“What if...” Megalyn started. “What if he wasn’t taken, but went of his own accord?”

“What are you suggesting,” Jared roared at her. 

Jensen could tell that Jared was angry with her for questioning his friend’s loyalty, but he was not so ready to dismiss the idea.

Megalyn was younger that everyone in the room and was Sandy’s littermate. Even though they knew her, the bond was not the same. 

Over the years, what Jensen had noticed was the fact that she seemed to have a sixth sense about things and the majority of the time she was accurate. The only person more accurate was Sam.

There had been times in the past that he thought that she should be apprenticing with the older woman, but she seemed to be happier guarding the back instead of healing it.

She had been orphaned as a child and placed on Aldis’ parent’s doorstep, so there was the possibility she could possess the magic that would make her a great shaman.

Before she could explain, the others in the room began berating her for questioning one of their own. 

“Why would you think that?” Their newest member, Ty Olsson asked.

“We thought that Misha was loyal, and where is he now? Let her speak, if there’s no validity to what she is saying then we find another course of action,” Jensen interjected and nodded for her to continue.

The brown-skinned girl took a deep breath and spoke, “Look, we all know that while A.J. was not as capable as either Chris or Idris, he would have been able to take care of himself. And then there’s Chris.”

“What about Chris?” Steve asked from behind Jensen.

“There is no way that Chris is going to let someone sneak up on him, he’s just too good for that. Chad you may be Jared’s second, but Chris is a better warrior, he’s not going to leave himself open like that.”

When no one else spoke she continued, “What are the chances that some unknown wolf is going to have the ability to sneak up on two of our elite council and take them both out?”

Jensen glanced over at Jared and he could see that his mate was deep in thought. He might not like it, but he hoped that Jared did not dismiss the idea.

“She has a point,” Steve broke the silence that had fallen over the normally boisterous group. “I didn’t see A.J.’s wound, but Chris was shot up close and there is no way a stranger could get that close to him.”

“What if she’s wrong?” Mike asked, “I mean we have to consider that possibility as well.”

Jared rubbed his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of one of his large hands and grunted. Jensen knew that meant that the Alpha was waging an internal war to come up with a solution, and the Omega hoped that it was one the big man could live with.

“It is possible that both of you could be right, but right now we just don’t know,” Jared sighed. “Steve how is Chris? Does Sam have any idea when he will wake up?”

Jensen is sure that he’s not the only one who heard the unspoken question of will he wake up. 

Ty Olsson had filled in before whenever they needed an extra man that they could trust, and Chris had done the same. Now that A.J. was gone Ty would permanently take his place, but as much as Jensen liked Ty, he didn’t want him to take his Chris’ place.

“If I am forced to make a decision right here, right now, then I have to err on the side of loyalty. Idris has given me no reason to question his loyalty to me or to the pack. Until I’m given proof or have reason to doubt it, I will continue to believe that he is held somewhere against his will.”

Jensen stared at Jared. In his heart, the Omega knew that this had not been an easy decision for Jared to make, but Jensen believed that Megalyn was right. He believed that just as he believed that Idris was one of his attackers last week.

As time passed, bits and pieces of that night continued to haunt his dreams and Idris was one of those pieces. Some of the occurrences Jared had been able to fill in for him, but with Idris gone under questionable circumstances, Jensen needed answers and he was not going to find them in his den.

“Jared,” Jensen spoke, “as the pack Omega, your pack’s co-leader, I understand that you trust our friend, but what happens while you’re operating under the supposition that Idris is still pack, and you find out that he’s not? What if that knowledge comes too late?”

“Are you suggesting that the Alpha is wrong?” Chad demanded, his stance showing that he was ready to defend his Alpha even against the pack Omega.

Jensen knew that everyone here trusted him as well as Jared, but it was moments like this that told him that their allegiance was to Jared.

“Steve, Megalyn and I see things a little different,” Jensen explained. “I’m not suggesting that we convict Idris in his absence, what I am suggesting is to do a two part hunt. We, the three of us will look for evidence proving him innocent, while the rest of you do the opposite.”

“Have you forgotten your condition Jensen, you’ll be limited as to how much you can participate either way,” Jared reminded him.

As if Jensen could forget.

“No, Jared I have not; even in the event that I had, I have you there to remind me.” He stopped and looked around the room before asking, “Is there anyone here that I can convince to help us?”

“I have faith in my sister’s intuition,“ Aldis said as he walked over and gave Megalyn a hug.

“We are all agreed then?” Jared asked the group.

The murmurs of yeas and the nodding of heads gave him his answer.

“Jensen, I have to tell you, I hope that you are wrong.”

“I hope so too Jared, I hope so too,” but Jensen felt in his bones that he wasn’t.



The following week bought no answers for either side, it was as though the earth opened and swallowed Idris. There was no trace of him anywhere. Both groups were relying on Chris regaining consciousness, but so far, he hadn’t.

Sam has created an herbal potion to keep him sedated until the silver worked its way out of his system. According to her, once the silver was gone, Chris would wake up on his own accord.

Jensen was growing more and more frustrated by because there was no evidence supporting either theory, and to make matters worse, he had to spend half of his day in wolf form because his human body was experiencing nausea until midday.

This morning Jensen had wanted to get an early start, but before he could shift back into his wolf form to ward it off, the nausea hit him as soon as he opened his eyes. He had tried many times to falling asleep in his wolf’s body, but he always woke up as the little spoon to Jared’s big one.

Once the worse of it was over, Jensen made his way from their sleeping quarters to the main room of the den. He still felt queasy, but regardless, he had to help find the underlying cause of the problem about Idris.

Megalyn, Aldis and Steve were waiting for him and Ty was waiting for Jared. Of course, by the way Ty was staring at Megalyn, Jensen was sure that the older wolf would happily stay to help them with their cause.

He noticed that Steve was looking towards the room that Chris was recuperating in, and that told him that Sam was with the sick man. Perhaps today was the day that the blonde-haired man woke, but from the look on the Alpha’s face, Jensen didn’t think so.

“Omega,” Megalyn greeted as soon as she saw Jensen. She stepped forward, extending her hands to offer a gourd filled with an amber colored liquid. “The Alpha mentioned that you were having trouble with pup sickness, so I brought you something to help ease it.”

Jensen smiled as he watched Megalyn bow her head shyly as he took the gourd from her. He realized that she thought that he was going to reject her offer.

Not wanting to offend her, Jensen took the gourd and brought it to his nose to take a sniff before drinking it. Jensen was used to Sam’s potions and elixirs smelling like the business end of a horse and tasting just as foul, but not this. The smell was spicy and enticing and had a sweet taste that had Jensen quickly drinking it down.

After drinking this, the Omega now wondered if Sam’s offerings tasted and smelled foul intentionally, especially now that he knew that she didn’t like him.

Once he had downed the drink, the results were almost instantaneous. After a week of revisiting his meals each morning, Jensen couldn’t believe that a novice had prepared something this effective.

Sam chose that moment to exit Chris’ room and Jensen looked at her differently. What was she doing? And more importantly, was she really helping his friend heal or slowly and painfully drawing out his death.

In the past, Jensen had watched her heal people who were in far worse shape than Chris was in less time. It has been weeks and Chris is still comatose.

Jensen didn’t want to discourage his friend, so he kept his suppositions to himself.

He needed to share his beliefs with someone, but Jared was still reeling from the fact that Jensen questioned Idris’ loyalty. If he suddenly questioned Sam’s as well, the Alpha might agree with Amell’s remaining allies and break his mating bond himself.

Jensen let the others talk amongst themselves and presumed that they were giving their Omega time to get over the pup sickness that he’d been experiencing as he thought about the best way to approach his growing distrust of Sam. 

As the Shaman approached Steve, Jensen took that time to visit his friend alone before they went about their business of finding the truth.

“We’ll get revenge for this,” he promised his friend before joining the others.

Once he left the room, Megalyn broke away from the others and met him.

“I-I think that I might be able to come up with something to help him,” she softly offered.

A few weeks ago, Jensen would have taken her up on her offer with no questions asked, but now he had to be careful. He had taken the drink from her because he did not think that she would be brave enough to poison him in front of others but now things were different. 

“How do you know suddenly know so much about herbs ad healing, Megalyn?” Jensen asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and answered, “Sandy and I were friends as long as I can remember, I was always at her den or she was at mine. We even presented at the same time. During those visits I picked up things from Sam.”

“You picked up how to heal Chris from silver sickness from watching Sam?”

“Some of what I know comes from watching her, it seems as though I had a natural ability, but lately, since the night of your attack, it seems as though everything is just…there. I don’t know how I know it but I do know it. I promise as an oath to Luna, that I am not trying to hurt him, I just want to help.”

“Why didn’t you come forward sooner?”

“It just felt wrong that I could do this,” she whispered. “I know that all gifts are from Luna, but why did she wait so late to reveal this to me? Also, I didn’t want Sam to think that I was trying to take over her position. She is after all the Alphas’ mother and if what I’m doing is misconstrued, that it will end badly for me.”

”If you hurt my friend intentionally, I’d kill you myself,” Jensen confirmed her fears. He then cocked his head and said. “You don’t think she’s helping him do you?”

“No, but she’s not hurting him either. I came to you because I can’t get what he needs without suspicion from her. No one will dare question the Alpha’s Omega.”

She was right. Even if Sam somehow knew what he was getting the herbs for, as much as she seemed to dislike him, she wouldn’t dare speak out against him because of his position in the pack.

“I’ll get you what you need.”

Megalyn had been correct; it had been tricky getting the herbs that she needed. Even though he wasn’t afraid of Sam, he was clandestine in getting the aromatic plants. It took him 4 days, but he finally had all of the ingredients that she had requested.

As she mixed her potion, Jensen stood guard at the far end of their den. He and Jared rarely used this section, so they were hidden from anyone who happened to enter the den. The den went further back and had another exit that only he, Jared, Chad and Chris knew about.

He watched her as she concocted the potion but noticed her nervousness. Nerves were good, that meant she was scared. Jensen was scared as well, because he was taking a chance with his friend’s life without letting his mate weigh in.

Once the concoction was ready, Jensen administered it to Chris. At first, it ran from the unconscious man’s mouth. Soon he was swallowing small amounts until half of the small bowl was gone.

Once he swallowed the last drop, Steve entered the room. Jensen was not sure if it was the potion or his mate’s closeness, but once Steve entered, Chris opened his eyes.

“Chris!’ Steve exclaimed.

“Let’s give them a moment,” Megalyn suggested to the Omega only to be stopped by Chris’ weak and rusty voice.

“Jensen, tell the Alpha Idris…Idris and Jeff did this,” he confirmed before he fell unconscious again.


	5. The Horseman's confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared finally confronts Jeff and learns of his plans

Once again, early morning found Jared on the terrace overlooking the pack grounds. There is a cool nip in the air and the beginning of orange colored leaves on the trees that tell him cooler weather will be here soon. It will probably arrive when the pups do.

He took a deep breath and wondered how long he will get to enjoy mornings like this. Not that he’s enjoying this morning anyway. The Alpha’s thoughts run along the lines that he might not even be on this plane for much longer, not if Jeff has his way.

Jared knew that the former Alpha was somewhere in his pack lands with the help of one of his council members with the goal to dethrone him.

There was no mistake that Jeff wanted nothing less than Jared’s head on a platter and Jensen in his bed. What the man does not know is that Jared will fight harder to keep Jensen than he will for his own life. 

Jeff and his steadily growing group have managed to keep themselves hidden by sight and by scent. The latter was throwing everything they knew off balance. How could they hunt what they could not track? He has consulted Sam, but she has nothing to counter the magic that Jeff has somehow found.

He should have killed him when the chance had been presented to him.

_“Finish me boy,” Jeff had growled as Jared’s teeth had clamped against the older man’s throat. “Finish me or I promise you that I will have Jensen and it will be my name he calls when he comes. That it will be me that he calls Alpha!”_

Jared remembered that moment very clearly. He had been young and tempestuous and the only thing on his mind was saving Jensen. He never thought about becoming pack Alpha until after the adrenaline rush had worn off.

When Jeff had announced to the pack that it was his intention to mate and claim Jensen, his Jensen, he didn’t think he just acted and defeated him. He could not believe that even though he was down, Jeff was still spouting off about claiming his mate.

Jared let his youthful need for revenge sway him into letting Jeff live. He could not taunt the other man if he was dead.

A week later, he wished that he had killed the other man. Challengers from both outside and inside the pack sprang forth daily because they thought him weak for letting Jeff live. No challenger since had had his or her life spared.

Now his only worry was his mate and he was ready for anyone who threatened him because if Jared lost, there was no doubt that Jensen would be claimed, and his pups killed. No Alpha wanted the offspring of their former rival coming back to claim their fathers spot. It did not matter if they were alpha, beta or omega they were dead.

As a gift from Luna to those life bearers who bore the lycanthrope gene, gestation was only three months, a month longer that a true wolf with the last month spent in wolf form. It is really a short time, but even shorter when an enemy has entered your home at the invitation of a family member who knew all of the best places to hide.

Almost two months have passed since the day Amell challenged him, two months he should have been enjoying the changes in his beautiful Omega’s body.

That thought alone brought a smile to his face. Even though there was a serious threat to his household did not mean that he did not get to indulge when the chance presented itself. Like last night.

His mouth salivated as he remembered feasting on nipples so sensitive that the first touch of his tongue made Jensen’s hard cock drip precome. Jared closed his eyes and he could hear the soft moaning in his ears and Jensen begging for more.

“Pleeease, Alpha,” the Omega had begged and he canted his hips trying to get some kind of friction to ease the ache that Jared had created.

Jared had kept his body slightly out of reach because he had wanted it to last. Once satisfied with torturing Jensen’s nipples, Jared kissed his way down his pregnant mate’s body, loving the mound that was his pups and proof of their claim on each other.

He kissed and petted the protrusion until Jensen’s drooling cock bumped his chin and suddenly he had become overwhelmed by the smell of his Omega. The intoxicating smell was a combination of the two of them and not just Jared’s scent on Jensen, and it made him lightheaded. 

Jared was so overcome by the scent the he didn’t know what he wanted to do first; should he take the leaking cock into his mouth or slide his tongue into that spasming pink hole that was begging just as prettily as Jensen’s mouth.

In the end, he compromised and slid his mouth down Jensen’s length while he filled the begging hole with two large fingers.

As he sucked and pumped, Jensen became a writhing mess and the sounds he made was so beautiful and loud, that Jared would not be surprised if the entire pack had heard them.

Had Jeff heard them?

He hoped so because there was nothing the man could do to make Jared’s Omega respond like that. 

“What has you so deep in thought?” Jensen asked as he walked up behind Jared and wrapped his arms around his waist.

He was trying to get closer but his distended belly prevented him, and Jared chuckled at the Omega’s sigh of frustration.

“You,” Jared stated.

Jensen’s harrumph told Jared the smaller man was not buying it, but he did not pressure.

The past few weeks have been hard on the pack. There have been more pack members leaving in the middle of the night and destroying pack belongings. Most members lay in dens or had small homes made of earth and mud to resemble them. When they left, fires were set to these homes and by another pack member as a way of goodbye. 

Everyone was on edge because no one knew whom to trust. Danneel’s den had been set on fire because she did not leave when Chris Pine and his mate did. They did not understand why she would want to stay after Jared had killed her mate.

She was the one whose hatred Jared would understand but there was no hate in her. Each time someone left and tried to make her leave as well, they left her homeless, so Jensen offered her refuge in their den until things were settled. 

Jared hoped that it was soon because even though Amell challenged him, each time he looked at Amell’s pups he felt guilty.

Today was a hunt day. The hunt was necessary because they were running out of meat for the pack. Most of the wolves did some of their own hunting in the nearby woods for small game such as rabbit and wild turkeys, but the Alphas and sometimes betas took the horses to the plains above the pack lands to do the big game hunting.

Sometimes Jensen would participate but this time he couldn’t. Jared wanted to get this out of the way to make sure his mate was safe for the next month when he would be shifted. He was terrified to leave him, but the pack depended on Jared and he couldn’t let them down even though he wasn’t sure they believed in him any longer.

Each time he greeted them or had to settle a dispute, if the decision was not in their favor, Jared wondered if they would turn on him as Misha and Idris had.

When he made love to his mate last night, he did it with the knowledge that it could be his last time. Jared wanted to leave Jensen with good memories of him in the event that he didn’t make it back.

“Stop worrying, I’ll be okay, Alpha,” Jensen tried to reassure him. “No matter how much you believe me to be, I am not helpless.”

Jared smiled and turned to face his mate, “It’s not you that I doubt, Jensen,” the Alpha told him as he leaned in and kissed his Omega goodbye.

If he could not feel it over the bond, the kiss should have told him that this was not an _I’ll see you later goodbye kiss_ , this was as though it were permanent.

“You know that I don’t feel good about this hunting trip, but it is a necessity. If I don’t come back…”

“No!” Jensen interrupted, “no goodbye speeches. Promise me Jared. Promise me that you’ll come back.”

Jared looked down at Jensen and felt a tightening in his chest at the worry and fear that he saw there. It tightened more because he knew that the only way to take that away was to make a promise he was not sure he could keep.

They both knew that there was danger each time Jared left, but hiding in his den with his Omega was not going to make it disappear. Jared placed his hand on Jensen’s now protruding belly and said, “You know that I can’t promise you that Jen, but I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to return to you. I know you want me to stay and it would be so easy to do, but with the unrest, I can’t risk a total revolt because my pack no longer respected me.”

The beautiful thing about their bond was the ability to feel and share every emotion and the bad thing about their bond was their ability to feel and share every emotion.

His beautiful mate was crying now, and his every emotion flowed through their bond and stabbed Jared in the heart.

Jared removed his hand from his pups and used it to wipe the tears from Jensen’s face.

“I’ve given you the only promise I could, but I now need one from you as well. Shhh,” he quieted as Jensen made to speak. “If you feel our bond sever, leave. Run as fast as you can, Jensen. Take the secret exit and get as close to the entrance of the valley, because Jeff will come for you as soon as I take my last breath. Go to the Whitfield Pack and Charles will take you in.”

Jensen said nothing in response.

“Promise me Jensen!” Jared demanded. “I will always fight to win, but this time the gods may not be on my side. If I am to take my last breath, please let it be with the knowledge that you and the pups are safe.”

“I promise,” Jensen whispered.

The sound of the neighing horses told him that it was time to go. Jared began to walk down the hill before he stopped and said, “If I don’t come back, know that I love you and Chad will find you and give you the rest of my instructions.”

He did not demand a response this time nor did he turn to look at Jensen. He could hear the soft cries and he was afraid that if he turned around he would weaken and give in to the temptation to stay with his mate.

Only after he mounted his horse he did allow himself one last look at Jensen and was pleased when Steve and Chris came and stood beside him. Chris was not yet ready for the rigors of hunting, but he would be good protection for Jensen. They would not protect Jensen as well as Jared would, but he was satisfied that they would try.

Normally the ride to the hunting grounds were loud and boisterous, with each or all of them bragging about who would fell the biggest elk, but not today. Today they were silent and pensive, all knowing that this ride could change their future forever.

Despite the things that were happening in the pack lands and the way people were defecting, Jared had nothing but his gut to tell him that something major was happening today. His gut was never wrong and the feeling made him hyper-vigilant today.

“I can tell that you think something is going to happen, what makes you think that?” Chad asked as his horse pulled up next to the pensive man.

“I’m not sure Chad,” Jared answered honestly,” but since last night I have had this ominous feeling that makes me itch with anticipation. I feel this so strongly that it made me say goodbye to my mate.”

“Jared…” was all Chad could get past his lips.

“I’ve had this conversation with Jensen, and as I promised him, I will do my best, but Chad, one moment of distraction or a miscalculation and it could be over. You are my second Chad, just make sure that everyone sticks to the plan and get to Whitfield’s pack lands. He is a good man and will treat you fairly and more importantly he will protect all who seek refuge.”

“What about Jensen?” Chad asked his voice still shaken.

“Promise me that you will mate him.”

“You’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Chad growled.

“Where you see dramatics, I see practicality. A good Alpha plans for all circumstances and that includes the bad ones as well. Promise me this Chad. You’re the only one I trust… like that with him.”

Chad nodded his head in agreement. The rest of the ride was made in silence, but Jared was content. He had a plan in place and his family would be taken care of. Now if he had to, he could die with honor and in peace.

When they reached the hunting grounds, Jared was surprised at what he found there; a herd of elk and that was all. He spent the entire ride there expecting to be attacked as soon as the horse’s hooves hit the flat ground and he was disappointed.

He threw a wicked grin at Chad, dug his heels into the horses flank, and began the hunt. As Jared chased after the largest elk, he realized that he had not felt this free since he kissed the green-eyed Omega he had been lusting after for the first time.

In the end, they kill four elk, the largest of which was felled by Megalyn. This was only her second hunt and she’s bagging the big game already. The animals were field dressed and placed on the packhorses and they turned to head back down into the valley. Just as they began the trip home, they were suddenly surrounded.

Jeffery Dean Morgan.

“Jared,” he greeted with a smile that read he was greeting a long lost friend rather than the man who over threw him and took all of his prizes. “Is this what you’ve come to, a wolf hunting on a horse? No wonder you couldn’t keep your people, wolves need to run, feel the wind in their faces.”

“Yeah, and people need to eat.”

Jared climbed down from his horse and walked the short distance to face his enemy. Jeff was a big man and an even bigger wolf, but Jared was bigger. He had scared many of his opponents with his size alone. He was dressed in his hunting gear of leather pants and his leather harness that was held together with a metal ‘O’ ring in the center of his chest and he looked formidable.

When there was no one on the hunting grounds when they had first arrived, Jared was worried and relieved. It was the first time that gut feeling had disappointed him, but he was glad because this meant that he could get back to Jensen and avoid this confrontation. Now there was no avoiding it.

“I’m ready to end this, Jeff,” Jared told the older man.

“If you can be civilized and ride horses to hunt I can be civilized as well. You have done me the courtesy of returning one of my daughters to me,” he said as he reached around Idris and pulled Sandy to stand beside him. “Today, I’ve just come for the other, and besides I’ve got you out numbered.”

Jared watched in shock as Jeff pulled Sandy closer with one arm as he reached for Megalyn with the other. The gasps from the people behind him let him know that he was not the only one shocked. Even though they tried to cover it up, some of the people who stood with Jeff were equally as thrown by this revelation.

As he registered their surprise, Jared noticed the people standing with Jeff; most noticeable were Idris, Misha and his mate Matt.

“Where did you think that they were going when they left you?” Jeff smirked as he gestured to Megalyn. “Come on Megalyn, it time to bring you into the fold.”

“They can’t be your- your daughters,” Jared reasoned, “you- you were never mated.” 

“For a short time I was Jared, to both Sam and Loretta,” he grinned as he noticed the younger man find her among his people. “The best thing about shaman is that they can break a bond, and they did just for me.” 

“Why would you do something so vile,” Jared asked.

“I needed the leverage to have them both on my side. A mother will do anything for her child, isn’t that right Loretta?” he asked the dark-skinned woman. “It wasn’t until Sam was pregnant that I learned that Loretta was the more powerful of the two and she’s the one I really needed. In exchange for letting her keep her brat, she broke our bond and using the same advantage, I let Loretta’s live if she came with me. It’s genius if you think about it.”

Jared stared at the man with anger on his face. He did not understand how he could be so evil and still have these people follow him.

“You still don’t get it do you, Jared?” Jeff laughed. “You don’t know how special Jensen really is. When you have two young and beautiful shamans vying for your attention, they do their best to impress you. Both of these women told me the same thing, a story about and omega that was born into our pack, one with green eyes and freckles that would one day bear the most powerful Alpha and Omega ever. That this pair would be blessed by all of the gods on Olympus and would become gods, now who could pass that up?”

“You didn’t count on me did you?” Jared queried.

“No, you were never part of my plan, but don’t worry, you won’t be a problem for much longer. I know that Jensen is going to have your pups, but don’t worry about that either because anything that Jensen whelps will be mine.”

“Oh, god, you plan to kill Jensen as well don’t you,” Jared realized. “It’s just about the pups.”

“Now you understand. I don’t need a righteous Omega that will instill virtuous qualities in gods that I fully intend to corrupt. By the time they are fully grown I will use their powers to rule all pack lands, not just mine. Don’t worry about what’s left of your pack, because by that time both you and Jensen will be a distant memory.”

Jared was furious with both himself and with the excrement standing in front of him. He could understand wanting Jensen so much that you would wreck heaven and earth to have him, but to want to destroy something so beautiful that it seemed as though Luna had designed herself was incomprehensible. 

He himself had been willing to die to protect Jensen, but he needed to live to protect his mate and their family. 

He looked at Misha, standing so proudly next to Jeff while Sandy and Loretta seemed to be quaking in their boots.

“Misha,” Jared addressed the blue-eyed man. “You knew. You knew what Jeff wanted and what he was going to do and you still chose to follow him. Why?”

“He was my mates Alpha,” Misha explained. “Everything you do revolves around your mate, well it’s the same for me. I had to follow my mate.”

“You’re an alpha, Misha, but you followed the whims of a pup omega?” Jared asked incredulously. “What about me, Misha? I was your littermate and Alpha why didn’t you convince him to follow me?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Misha shrugged as he moved closer to his young mate and smiled down at him, “look around you Jared, you’ve been chasing your tail trying to find Idris when he’s been right under your nose this entire time. You’re going to die, so in the end I chose right.”

“See Jared, I inspire loyalty even in your friends,” Jeff chided

“Is that why Amell tried to challenge me and whomever the three you sent for Jensen tried to claim him? Is that what you call loyal? It seems to me that you need to check your ranks.”

The momentary slip of Jeff’s smile told him that Jeff was not aware of that information, that there was a crack in Jeff’s ranks he just had to find it.

“Enough!” Jeff demanded as he held out his hand and softened his voice, “Meggie, sweetheart come with me. Come, meet your real mom, and learn who you really are and all of your abilities. You and Sandy can catch up braid each other’s hair. It will be like old times before things became complicated.”

Jared knew that Megalyn had wanted to know about the mother that birthed her but no one would discuss her because she had chosen Jeff over the pack. Even though it still hurt as deeply as Sandy and Misha’s, this is one defection that would not surprise him.

He could fight against Jeff, but there was no weapon in his arsenal that would stop a child from joining her mother perhaps except said mother. Had he not been looking at her, Jared would have missed it. The slight shake both Sandy and Loretta gave the young pup.

Megalyn must have seen it as well, because she stepped back into Ty’s arms, making a choice and an enemy.

“You’re gonna regret that sweetheart,” Jeff promised before turning his attention back to Jared. “Today is not a day for fighting, Jared but trust me it will be soon and unexpected. I know that you have and escape plan for Jensen, but know that I would wrest him from Charles’s bosom as well. Until next time, Jared.”

The wolves that had been surrounding the hunting party broke their ranks and moved to join their brethren. Once in place, Loretta spoke a few words and the entire group disappeared.

“That’s why we haven’t been able to sense them my mo… the shaman has been cloaking them, covering their scent.”

Jared looked at the place where the large group had stood, and there was nothing. His eyes could find no footprints and his nose could pick up no scent, but his mind did process something.

Jeff told him something that he should not know, that Jensen was going to escape was a given, but the fact that he was going to the Whitfield pack, he should not have that information.

He quickly disrobed and shifted. He could make it back to the den faster on his own four legs than his horses. 

Jared ran as though Luna had given him wings, and he did not stop until he reached his den, but once inside he knew that he was too late, Jensen was gone.


	6. The Horseman's final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Jeff face off in a bloody confrontation.

Chris and Steve walked around the den only leaving when they took turns taking watch on the terrace. Their presence was meant to soothe Jensen, but it had the opposite effect as it put him on edge. Their hovering was irritating him more because he’d been feeling itchy and jumpy since Jared left for the hunt, leaving the mated pair to babysit him.

How could he feel anything but irritated when his mate had said goodbye fully expecting not to return? Jensen had confidence in Jared, after all the young Alpha had defeated Jeff once before, but Jeff wasn’t the same wolf who had left all those years before with his tail between his legs.

This was a wily, crafty and patient opponent. Anyone who could hide their scents and left no clue that would allow them to be tracked, deserved to be feared, only an idiot would not be scared and Jensen was no idiot.

“Jen, are you okay?” Chris asked for the millionth time.

The fact that Chris kept asking him this told him that the older wolf was scared or nervous at the most, but trying to hide it from Jensen.

“Not really, Chris,” Jensen answered him truthfully. He knew that if he didn’t answer his friend, then Chris was going to ask again, “Jared has me worried. He left he prepared to die and I won’t be able to rest until he is back in our den.”

The word safe was left unsaid but understood by both men.

“He’ll be back and you know it. Jared would do anything to get to you, but when he sees you like this he’ll think that Chris and I did not do our jobs,” Steve informed Jensen from the mouth of the cave. “Why don’t I get Danneel to make you some tea to help you relax?”

He posed it as a question, but judging from the way he turned around and walked towards Danneel, Steve’s tone said that this was a command and the omega in Jensen made him obey.

He did not want tea, he wanted Jared and he was trying not to take out his frustrations on their friends, but they were convenient targets.

“That would be great Steve,” Jensen agreed weakly to Steve’s retreating back.

“You can fool them, but you can’t fool me,” Chris told Jensen as soon as Steve was out of sight. “This is more than worry for Jared-- Jensen you’re pale, sweaty. Fuck man your eyes are glowing as though your wolf is barely in check.”

Oh Luna, Chris was right. How could he have forgotten that his body was preparing to give birth, and that meant that the last few weeks were spent as a wolf and not simply shifting? Pretty soon his hormones and biology were going to take over and tell his body that it was time for him to shift. With all that was going on around him, he had simply forgotten and a few words from Chris brought it all back into focus. 

These pups were wanted by both him and Jared, but the final shift couldn’t have happened at a worse time, but his body was going to prepare him for birth if he was ready or not. 

When Steve returned with the tea, he tried to show his gratitude to make up for his attitude from before. He really had expected Danneel to bring it to him, not one of Jared’s elite guards. The poor thing had been hovering all day in an attempt to show her gratitude for his and Jared’s protection.

It was kind of awkward for both of them since Jared had killed her mate.

By the third sip of the hot beverage, Jensen was feeling woozy and lightheaded and it must have showed because he felt the cup being removed from his unsteady hands. He was grateful because he didn’t want to burn himself, and he was going to thank his savior until he heard a loud thud and Chris yelling, “Danneel- wake up!”

Why was Danneel sleeping? He knew that the fact that she was, should alarm him, but he was too dizzy to remember why. That was his last thought before he slipped into darkness.

 

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

When Jared returned back to his den it was only to find utter chaos. Chris and Danneel were on the floor, and it didn’t look as though Chris went down as easily as Danneel had. He filed that bit of information away, but the most important Jared noticed was that Jensen and Steve were gone.

Jared knew that he should check on the pair, but he could see that their chests were rising and falling letting him know that they were breathing. So he followed his natural instinct to find his mate. He hoped that Steve was able to get him someplace safe.

Jared searched each room of the den looking for his friend and his mate, but he couldn’t feel any connection to Jensen, and the thought of what that meant caused a panic to rise inside him. He fought the rising fear as he searched for the other wolf.

When he reached the very back of the den, the part he thought that only a few people knew about, but now seemed to be a high traffic area, the panic was given free reign. Laying there like a gift, wrapped in silver, was Steve. 

Jared’s instincts told him that this was not the work of Jeff or Idris, because they would have never given Jared the pleasure of killing the man who had betrayed his Alpha and his pack. So who took Jensen?

Just as before, there was no scent trail, not even a faint one for Jared to follow. It was the same as when Chris had been attacked, but his gut told him that this was not Morgan.

He knew that he could get some answers from Chris and Danneel when they woke, but as he made his way back to them he knew that that was not going to be anytime soon.

As he waited for them to recover, he had time to reflect and wonder again how he missed clues that Steve had traded loyalty. The entire time that they had been searching for Idris, Steve had known. The bastard had known where they were and weren’t.

The stupid fuck had offered up his own mate to the cause and that was something Jared couldn’t understand. As a traitor, feeding the enemy information was a given, but Jared would cut off his hands before he betrayed Jensen.

Even Misha had followed his mate to the other side instead of splitting loyalties, so he had to believe that he didn’t know what they had planned for Chris or it could be something else.

Did Chris know?

Somehow he didn’t think so. The body he found slumped on the floor told Jared that Chris didn’t betray them; but then he hadn’t expected betrayal from Steve either, so he couldn’t be sure of what Chris did or did not know.

The possibility that Chris knew was a very real one and Jared treated it as such. Retrieving leather gloves, Jared hurriedly made his way in the room next to Jensen’s birthing den and retrieved silver bands he kept there when he needed to subdue another wolf. 

He worked quickly and carefully to bind Chris and placed his body next to Steve’s. His gut instinct kept telling him that Chris was innocent, but he would find out the truth sooner or later.

Anyone who would set their own mate up deserved to die, but selling out Jared’s as well? That became a death sentence the moment Steve made the pact with the devil.

Once the stocky man was secure, Jared howled and called for Chad to guard the prisoners and once the blond was there Jared went hunting.

The secret exit at the back of the cave had been explored often by him and Jensen. Those were the times when they wanted to be Jared and Jensen not the Alpha and Omega, they would slip out the back unnoticed and run and play in the woods in peace.

Today as he ran through the familiar woods, there was no peace, just an overwhelming desire to find his mate and bring him home. With each step he took Jared wondered if the search was in vain because he could not sense his mate at all. Had Morgan and his crew lived up to his promise? 

That wouldn’t make sense because the older man needed Jensen alive, but right now it seemed as though the pregnant wolf had vanished. Jared stopped to get his bearings and think about what his next step would be. 

It was had to come up with a plan of action because he had nothing to go on, and then he remembered; he had Steve.

 

ΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Jensen was groggy when he woke. He tried to stand but when he did his legs were as stable as a new born pups. Part of the reason was the fact that he had forgotten that he was in wolf form and was attempting the stand on two legs instead of four.

Even after he’d adjusted to four legs, they were still rubbery and unable to hold his weight so he lay back down.

Once he was focused, Jensen looked around and realized that he was not in his den and nuzzled at his belly to feel for his pups. He felt them kick at his touch as though to say were still here and they were alright.

Satisfied that his pups were okay, Jensen looked around the room and immediately recognized his surroundings- Idris’ den.

The knowledge frightened him; if he was here was Jeff far behind?

Taking stock of the room, he knew that he was in the main area, and it appeared that he was alone. Gathering what little strength he had, Jensen headed towards the closest entrance, in an attempt to escape before whomever returned.

Just as he was about to make his escape, Sam Ferris stepped in front of him, blocking his exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” She asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Feeling threatened, Jensen snarled at her. She backed up a step because he knew Jensen’s reputation in a fight. More than one wolf had mistaken the Omega’s strength and paid for it with their life.

An opponent that skillful cannot be taken lightly and one protecting pups was twice as dangerous.

As he warily watched her, foam began to gather in his mouth as he paced in front of her. He had suspected that Samantha hated him, but it had never occurred to him that Jared’s surrogate mother would try to kill him.

Right now she blocked his freedom and he was determined to get it back and make his way back to Jared. 

The choice was simple, her death for his pups life.

The Omega moved forward testing her reactions, seeing if she would try to stop him. She was much faster than he thought her to be.

“Take it easy, Jensen,” Sam tried to calm the frightened wolf. “I am not going to hurt you, I brought you here to protect you from those who are.”

“Like yourself?” Jensen challenged. “This is Idris’ den so does that mean your comrades will be here for me soon?”

“No,” she sighed, “I brought you here because it’s the safest place for you while Jared handles his threats. He can’t do that and worry about your safety as well.”

“Why here?” Jensen asked, “Why bring me to a known enemy’s lair?”

“Think about it Jensen, its perfect. With all of the commotion around you and Jared looking for clues as to what happened to Chris and Idris, this place was too hot for him to return to making it the safest place for you to hide until the pups are born. It’s like hiding in plain sight.” 

Jensen looked at her warily, not sure if he could trust her, so he put a little distance between them as he tried to figure her out, and then it hit him, Jared. He couldn’t sense Jared.

“I can’t-Jared is he okay?”

“He’s alive Jensen, but he’s far from okay,” she said soberly.

Jensen let out a sound that was a cross between a whine and a growl. She said that Jared was safe, but if that was true then why couldn’t he sense him? The only reason that he could not feel the bond was that Jared was dead. He had to find Chad.

Once again Jensen eyed the door, just because Jared trusted her didn’t mean that he should. This was the healer who let Chris suffer, this soothe-sayer who couldn’t foresee the hell that was coming in the form of Morgan, this mother who wanted- no needed to avenge her child.

As she walked towards him, Jensen feinted to her right and slipped past her to his freedom and safety. He’d promised his mate that he would seek shelter with the Whitfield Pack, but first he needed to get past Sam.

It seemed longer, but it was only a few seconds later when he found the opening and skirted past Sam to the mouth of the den. He could practically taste his freedom and was ready to howl out in excitement then he hit something solid and landed on his ass. The cry of freedom died in his throat.

“You can’t leave Jensen,” Sam smiled sadly at him. “Jared is still alive, and in order for him to stay that way he needs to concentrate on ridding this world of Jeff, and he can’t do that if he’s worried about you.”

“He’s going to think that I’m dead, Samantha, I can’t let him think that!”

“That’s exactly why we took the choice from you. This way he’ll be even more determined, avenging his fallen mate and unborn pups. It is my duty, as well as yours to serve my Alpha in the best way we know how. Our job is to protect him as well as accept his protection.”

“I can’t have him thinking that I’m dead, besides,” he replied, “he can still feel the pull of our bond.”

“Not anymore,” Sam corrected him, “the force field that I have in place effectively blocks that bond.

At her announcement Jensen felt all of the fight leave his body and the only sound he made was a whine of frustration.

∆∆∆∆∆

Jared tried his best to concentrate on Jensen, wanting to feel their bond and make some kind of contact, but there was nothing. While he had been posturing with Jeff, Steve had let someone take him mate and kill him.

He was torturing himself wondering if the end was quick and painless or did they make him suffer. If that bastard Morgan had gotten his hands on Jensen then he knew that the Omega suffered for refusing the older alpha.

Jensen was gone and now everyone would pay.

After searching the pack grounds he found that he couldn’t sense the Omega nor could he scent where he had been… killed.

“Where is he?” Jared demanded. “Where’s my mate’s body?”

The last question almost broke him to say, but he needed to know, wanted to give Jensen’s body back to Luna in a tribute of fire but the stubborn bastard in front of him would not break.

He had the man tethered to a stake and bound by silver on the balcony for everyone to see. They needed to know the price of betrayal. If Steve had been corrupted then he couldn’t trust anyone else. The stupid man had let the enemy hurt Chris, his mate and that made him dangerous.

Chris still pledged his loyalty, but by virtue of their bond, he was Steve’s mate and that loyalty couldn’t be trusted. The only reason he was no longer on the balcony next to Steve was the fact that he’d been hurt by Steve’s betrayal and he was Jensen’s friend.

While he was gone, Chad had questioned the Omega, but he knew nothing. Jared really didn’t expect him to, but he thought that seeing his mate in the silver, Steve would break but he didn’t. He should have known that the other Alpha wouldn’t break easily because of the way he had watched his mate suffer without giving anything away.

Jared knew that the bastard wasn’t going to break easily but at this point he wondered if he would break at all. 

Steve was an Alpha in the fullest extent and had he not been a part of Jared’s pack then he could have lead a pack of his own, something Jared would have readily encouraged. With an Omega as strong as Chris by his side he would have been both feared and respected so he didn’t understand the defection.

Jared must have asked the question aloud because Steve said “because Jeff had a powerful shaman, the most powerful anyone has ever seen. She has shown us the future and everyone who followed you dies horribly. I have an omega to think about so I made a choice. I wanted my mate to live. What he went through before was nothing compared to what Jeff had in store for him. You protected what was yours and I protected mine.”

“That kind of loyalty is to be commended,” Jared praised his former friend, “but you cost me a mate. My first instinct was to show you how that feels and then send your corpse to Jeff, but Chris wasn’t the one to betray me, so it is you and you alone that will pay for your transgressions.”

With a blink of an eye Jared changed into his wolf form and ripped out the man’s throat. He would have toyed with him before the kill, but that would be time lost looking for Jensen. The blood had barely stopped flowing from the gaping wound when he heard the mournful wail from Chris as he felt death break his mate bond.

As the blood pooled and congealed at Jared’s feet, he thought that he would feel better knowing that the Judas among them had been taken care of, but nothing changed. He still felt… empty.

With Steve’s blood still dripping from his snout, Jared made his way back into the den where his rag-tag group waited for him. They all looked at him as though now that Steve had been taken care of Jared now had the answers to the meaning of life. Tomorrow he might, but tonight he couldn’t get past the pain.

He could feel all eyes on him as he moved restlessly around the cave. He couldn’t settle down, the funny thing was that Jensen would have known how to calm him down- would know what to say. That wasn’t going to happen because Jensen was dead.

On the hundredth circle around the cave, something in Jensen’s nursery den caught his attention causing him to slowly make his way to the room. Just before he crossed the threshold, Chris’ broken voice stopped him.

“Alpha,” the Omega called out to him, his broken voice telling Jared the wolf was in pain.

His first instinct was to continue walking as though he didn’t hear him, but he had just killed the Omega’s mate, he didn’t want to cause him any more pain.

“Yes, Chris,” he answered. He kept his back turned to the omega because he couldn’t look his friend in the eyes so he continued to stare ahead.

“May I- Steve... please let me put him on the pyre, Alpha,” he begged.

Jared hesitated at first. The traitor didn’t deserve to be offered to the goddess. If Jared had his way, he would serve as food for the vultures condemned to wander the earth for eternity, but the sound of Chris’ broken plea made him say instead, “Go on Chris, but make sure that he’s burning by morning, if not then I’ll leave him for the buzzards and no friendship will change my mind.”

Once he gave his okay to offer the traitors body to Luna, Jared walked into Jensen’s den and shuttered. The smell of his mate was strong and it overwhelmed him. He lay in the middle of the nest and let himself become surrounded by Jensen’s scent.

He let the smell overpower his other senses and drown out the sounds of Steve’s body being cut down and being prepared by his mate and their friends for the pyre.

Breathing in deeply, Jared let the smells of his mate wash away those sounds because they were making him bitter. Chris at least got this, the right to send the mate who used him as a pawn in his betrayal of their pack away with a dignity. 

Jensen deserved that and more yet his cold body is somewhere rotting in secret, leaving Jared unable to give him the sendoff he deserved. If not for this nest and the promise he made Chris, Jared would have changed his mind and left Steve to the buzzards anyway.

Suddenly it was all too much; Steve, the loss of Jensen and their pups, the overwhelming emotions made Jared feel confined. Leaping up, he made his way towards the back entrance of the cave and ran. He had no destination in mind but when he reached the high flat group of rocks that gave him and Jensen their first glimpse of this valley, Jared lifted his head up and howled his pain.

Sometime during the night he made his way back to the cave and Jensen’s den, the next morning he woke surrounded by his mates scent. During the night he had shifted into his human form, so Jared stretched his large frame, scratched his balls and reached for Jensen.

When he encountered the cold empty space, the grief hit him at once. For a brief second he forgot that his mate was gone and the realization that he was, was the same as experiencing the news for the first time. 

Jensen was gone, Steve had followed, but Jared knew that he wouldn’t stop until Jeff and Idris joined him. There was only one option for him, revenge or follow his mate trying.

Not caring about his nudity, Jared rose from Jensen’s nest and walked past his friends into the room that he shared with Jensen, to dress. 

As he walked he noticed that the smell of death no longer permeated the cave, but it did linger despite the vigorous cleaning by the others. There was no regret in killing Steve, only regret that he had to hurt Chris in the process.

Had another wolf killed Steve he and Chris would bond through their loss, but he was not sure how to behave towards the mate-less omega now.

“What’s the plan now Alpha?” Chris asked once Jared stood in front of them.

“Chris you don’t have to be here,” Jared told the heartbroken man. “Steve turned on me and he is responsible for Jensen’s death, and I’ll never be sorry for what I did to him. I am only sorry that it hurt you. If you want to leave, I understand.”

“Even though they hurt, I understand the choices you made, and even though I don’t condone them, in a way I understand the choices Steve made. Please know that I didn’t agree with those choices and that my allegiance is with you. Now let’s find Jensen.”

Too choked up to speak, Jared nodded his head in agreement with Chris’ statement. Once he found his voice, he looked at the others and asked, “What about the rest of you? This is the only chance I’m giving you to freely walk away, no questions asked. If you betray me after this, what I did to Steve will seem humane in comparison.”

He hoped that his relief didn’t show in his face when no one moved.

“Jared let’s get going,” Chad said as he walked past the Alpha.

The search for Morgan and his pack continued but to no avail. Just as before there were no traces of the group. Megalyn began to pick up things but when they got there, all traces of whatever it was gone and that in itself was telling, so Jared kept track of where ever she sensed something hoping that together the bits and pieces would help them find their quarry.

Jared tried not to let the chase frustrate him, but coupled with the grief of losing Jensen, that was a tall order. His crew was determined, but they were also tired and it made Jared wonder how much longer he could push them. 

Each time he was about to give up, it wasn’t Chad or Chris who pushed them, but Megalyn. The longer they searched the stronger her powers became. They were improving by leaps and bounds. He let her encourage him, because she believed that they would find the Omega’s body.

Today was another long day and another fruitless search ending with Jared telling everyone to go back to the den. He was becoming irritated because each day without Jensen’s body meant his bond was weakening and he’s not sure how much longer nature would keep him tethered to Jensen. Soon his desire to find his mate would not be important, it would just be him looking for a pack member.

This was Luna’s way of making sure her fledgling race survived. Instead of mourning themselves to death once a bond was broken, soon after they were free to find another mate.

Hopefully, Luna would guide them in the right direction soon.

As he made to turn around to go with the others he heard… Jensen calling for him through their bond.

Then as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Startled, Jared looked at the others to see if there was a reaction from them; had they heard it as well. They were all still moving towards the den, well everyone except Megalyn.

Somehow she hadd heard.

“Where?” he asked impatiently looking around trying to determine which way the call came..

“This way,” she instructed as she ran past Jared towards the ground the group had just covered not fifteen minutes before. Not waiting to see if the others followed, Jared ran after her and realized they were heading towards Idris’ den.

 

ΩΩΩΩΩ

Time was up. 

The goddess Luna was calling forth the pups to be born and Jensen had no say in the matter or his situation. He was locked in the enemy’s den with said enemy’s friend (enemy at this point Jensen couldn’t tell and didn’t care) as a companion.

The only thing that mattered to him was his Alpha wasn’t there.

He didn’t think that Jared could take the pain away, but he could provide a comfort that Samantha, despite the vast knowledge as a healer couldn’t.

Omega wolves have been giving birth since the moment Luna blessed them for their unwavering devotion to her, and Jensen had witnessed his fair share, but the pain that was now wracking his body still came as a shock.

If he lived through the birth and the war that Morgan was waging, he would never again question the levels of pain that a birthing omega’s complained about because this hurt.

The gods blessed female omegas and betas by not fusing their pelvic bones allowing them to open to allow the pups to pass through the birth canal, but not so with male omegas.

No one is sure why but perhaps Luna felt giving the males the ability to give birth was blessing enough so she only made one change in their design. When they gave birth, the pelvic bones literally broke apart during birth and fused back after the baby had been safely delivered. The pack shaman said that this was why the males often had multiple births. The trauma to the body was greater and if they had multiple births, there was no need for more pregnancies.

As his bones began to separate, Jensen wasn’t sure if he should curse or give thanks to the goddess because the pain was unbearable. Instead of the quick separation that was the norm. Jensen felt each break individually as inch by inch his body made way for his pups to enter into the world.

After what seemed like hours later, he felt the final snap of his pelvis and instead of a cessation, he felt the first baby enter the birth canal. The pup didn’t work his way out immediately and now instead of hating her, he wished that Sam would come soon and help because the birth was going slower than he’d anticipated.

He’d assisted enough births to know that this was moving slowly.

After much laboring and hard pushes, his body expelled his offspring. Instincts kicked in and as quickly as possible, he chewed at the birth sac and cleaned his pup. After licking away the blood and the amniotic fluid, Jensen was able to see what his sex was. An alpha male like Jared. With a nudge of his head Jensen maneuvered the newborn until he was suckling and prepared for the next pup to make its appearance.

The second pup, a beta, was just as slow about making her appearance, but the third, the omega like Jensen made his appearance a little faster than the others. Especially considering that Jensen had not planned for a third pup. Three pups. All these years of thinking that he was barren and now he has three. 

Smiling tiredly, Jensen watched as the three fed from him and that’s when he noticed it, they were all white. Pure white, no markings, just white and innocent.

What should be a happy moment was not because there was no Jared to share the joy.

“Jared,” he whispered in despair.

As soon as he said his mates’ name, Samantha came rushing through her portal with Idris Elba. His arm was locked around her neck in a death like grip allowing him to gain entry to the cave.

“Well, well what do we have here?” he asked as he pushed Samantha away from him.

“Helping Jared, right Sam?” Jensen sneered as he watched the big man walk towards him and his pups.

He felt a tear roll down his cheek because he knew that the man was going to kill his pups. After the birth and shifting he was too weak to lift a hand to stop him.

“I’m sorry Jensen,” Samantha pleaded, “he surprised me in an ambush and held on so that he could get past the portal with me. You have to believe that I didn’t let him in on purpose.”

“Who cares, Sam, I’m here now. You try any of your hocus-pocus shit, just remember than Morgan has Sandy and more importantly Loretta, and her magic is much more powerful than yours.” Turning to Jensen, he said “You shoulda just went with Morgan in the first place and everything would have been less painful for everyone.”

“No,” Jensen cried weakly as Idris bent down to pick up the pups.

“Hope you haven’t named them,” he joked. 

As his large hand touched the first pup, a bright beam of light emanated from the pups and suddenly Idris was floating as though being held by an invisible hand as he shook violently before he was dropped to the floor on his back. His eyes, now bloody sockets, were staring up at the ceiling.

“Samantha, what happened, what did you do?” Jensen asked thankful that the woman had spared his pups lives.

“Yeah, Samantha what did you do?” Morgan’s deep voice asked from the doorway as he entered followed closely by Loretta.

For the first time ever, Jensen saw fear in the older woman’s eyes and he almost felt sorry for her. He was wasn’t sure if her fear was because of Jeff or the pups, but she was so scared that she was shaking.

“I-I didn’t. The pups. They,” she stuttered and pointed a shaking finger at the sleeping newborns. 

“It’s a good thing that I keep you around sweetheart,” Jeff told Loretta, “because it looks as though this one can’t be trusted. I guess Sandy doesn’t mean that much to her after all.”

That’s when Jensen realized what was going on. Even in his weakened state he realized that Morgan held something over Sam and Loretta’s heads to keep them in line. It was easy to guess that Sandy was Sam’s weak spot, but what did he have over Loretta.

Too bad they didn’t know this sooner, it would have given them ammunition- something to work with. Now he was going to have to watch the only person in this world that he hated kill his babies and he couldn’t do anything to stop him.

Just as Jeff bent to touch his babies, he was thrown against the opposite wall even though no one touched him. After watching the man slide to the floor, Jensen lifted his tired head to see Megalyn standing at the entrance with Jared at her side. There was a burning hatred in her eyes as she stared at Jeff.

Then Jensen understood, Megalyn was what kept Loretta in line.

The brief glimpses of her power, like when she came up with the cure for Chris, should have clued him in earlier but he’d been too focused on JEFF, and Jared to pay attention. Right now seeing her anger and the pure power of her magic, he was glad that she was on their side and not Jeff’s. 

From his view, Jensen could see that Jeff was too busy gloating to notice. Suddenly the three women were moving, standing side by side they walked towards Jeff when Jared’s voice stopped them.

“No ladies he’s mine,” Jared told them as he pushed past them and stopped in front of Idris’ body without sparing Jensen so much as a glance. “He wants to kill my family then he has to get through me to do it.”

“You don’t have it in you to fight me boy,” Jeff taunted from his position on the floor. “I’ve watched you chase your tail until you’ve worn yourself out; I have your friends on my side so I will whip your ass. Before I put you down I’ll make sure the last thing you see is me killing those whelps just before I fuck my own inside that sweet hole you’re so willing to die for.” 

That’s when Jared looked away. For a moment he let his enemy’s words penetrate and distract him. His face lost the concentration as he took in the three sleeping pups and Jensen’s worried face.

“Go Alpha and rid yourself of your enemy. I’ll take care of your family until you get back,” Megalyn pleaded to Jared. “Take this outside, I’ll protect their lives with my own.”

“It’s okay Jared. Your body will be too mutilated to come back inside so I’ll have them bring him out to me so that I can kill them in front of you,” Jeff laughed as he sauntered past Jared.

∆∆∆∆∆

Why he expected a fair fight, Jared’s not sure but even so he was still unprepared when he was attacked as soon as he walked out of the den. Jeff hadn’t bothered to shift so the uppercut under his chin dazed him.

Shaking his head, Jared circled around the man to get his bearings when he was tripped by someone in the circle of people who had surrounded him. When he looked up, he stared in the cold blue eyes of Misha Collins. 

One more bastard he’d have to kill.

The snarl from Chris had Misha stepping back into the circle and away from Jared. Chris had some aggressions that he needed to work out and Misha, Steve’s best friend would be the perfect person to work them out.

Wiping the blood from his lip, Jared turned his attention back to Jeff and promised “tonight you die.”

Shifting to his wolf, Jared lept towards the older wolf who shifted in time to avoid having his feet swept from under him. Jared rolled away to strike again but Jeff was right there. 

He attacked head on. Chest bumping, mouth foaming and teeth biting whatever flesh he could sink into, but Jeff was still standing and ready for more.

It was the same with each move that Jared tried, Jeff was there with an answering blow or a defensive move as though he knew each move that the young Alpha would make. That’s when it occurred to Jared that he did. These were moves developed or taught to him by Steve who in turn taught them to the older man.

Jared decided to become more aggressive taking the older wolf head on, but he always ended up on his ass. At one point Jeff placed his head on his forelegs with his ass up in the air and wagged his tail as though telling Jared that he was toying with him. 

And he was.

As Jeff circled around him, prancing and showing off to the crowd, Jared noticed that he was the only one bleeding. Sure he’d landed a bite here and there, but they weren’t enough to draw blood from the other man.

Since Steve had given all of his secrets away it was time to try what he’d done the first time he fought Jeff and fight like an untrained fighter, like a puppy.

The change in his style would confound and confuse the man because this wasn’t hand fed to him from Steve, Idris or Misha. 

When Jeff attacked next, all of the playfulness from before was gone. Jeff leaped forward to barrel into Jared who had not had enough time to formulate how he was going to put his plan into action.

The move put Jared on his back knocking the air from his lungs. As he was trying to catch his breath, Jeff went for his jugular. It took every ounce of strength Jared had to roll out of the way. He was able to roll over, but not before Jeff was able to inflict harm.

The bite was not on his throat, it was just over his shoulder, but he pulled a nice chunk of flesh away, leaving muscle exposed.

As he struggled to stand up, Jared could feel the blood rushing from the wound. The loss of blood was making him dizzy and he shook his head to regain his focus. He smiled a little when some of his blood landed on Misha.

The scent of blood changed his opponent’s demeanor. Gone was the playful Jeff who was toying with his enemy. Now that blood was spilled, his wolf wanted the kill and he launched his large body at Jared.

Instead of taking the hit head on as he had before, Jared ducked down and attacked Jeff’s right hind leg as he leaped over him. The ploy worked, so when Jeff let his anger at being bested fuel his next move, Jared decided to try it again. This time he exerted pressure until he felt a satisfying crunch as the bone gave under his teeth.

Hearing the former Alpha cry out in pain, Jared moved quickly to snap the other leg and broke it like a twig with one bite.

The metal taste of blood fueled Jared’s wrath and as Jeff tried to crawl away, Jared followed the trail of blood the crippled wolf made as he tried to break the ranks of the circled around them because now his wolf was seeking the kill. 

Before he could reach the edge of the crowd, where he could seek refuge and get some time to regroup, Jared clamped down on Jeff’s tail and dragged him back to the middle of the circle as Jeff howled in pain.

Seeing that he was defeated, Jeff rolled over on his back and showed his belly just as he had to that kid all those years ago, but he was not fighting a kid this time. This time Jared was older and wiser and had more experience under his belt. This would end now. The man Jared is doesn't have the same compassion as the kid that Jared was.

Before he was fighting to get Jensen and that had been his only plan. He hadn’t expected to win that day, it was just that death would be better than living in a world without Jensen as his. Now he knew Jensen’s touch, knew what it was like to love him and he would kill to keep that.

Letting out a feral growl Jared nudged at Jeff’s stomach before biting him. This wasn’t a killing bite, he just wanted to make him suffer for what Jeff had done to Jensen, for what he made Jared do to Steve.

Spitting out pieces of the fallen wolf’s intestine, Jared walked around the prostrate body and bit at the defeated alpha’s body, taking away bloody chunks before he ripped his neck out for the kill. For all of his posturing, Jeff let out a faint whimper as he took his last breath.

There were no speeches to be made, no threats, the only thing on his mind was getting back to Jensen. Letting go of the chunk of flesh still clamped between his teeth, Jared walked past the group to go see Jensen and their pups.

“No one leaves,” he told Chad as he walked past him.

When he reached the mouth of the cave Jared had shifted back to his human form and watched as Megalyn, along with Loretta and Sam tending to Jared’s sleeping family.

Family.

He looked around the room but there was no sign of Idris’ body, and unlike the stench of death left by Steve’s body in their cave, there was only the sweet scent of the pups. He’s not sure how the women got rid of the body or the smell, but he was glad it was gone and no longer desecrating the place where Jensen had given birth.

“Alpha,” Loretta greeted warmly.

“Talk fast, but someone had better have a hell of an explanation of why you both should live,” Jared growled softly as he drank in the beauty of Jensen’s sleeping face.

“The same reason you killed him this time, our children. He held their lives in his hands and by the time we realized that he had played us against one another, it was too late,” Loretta explained.

“Love makes you do crazy things, Jared,” Sam added. “We loved him and we thought that he loved us, but I never- I raised you as my own, Alp… Jared I never would have hurt you and that meant never hurting Jensen.”

“Alpha, listed to them,” Megalyn begged. “Please…”

Looking down at Jensen, an alive and breathing Jensen, and Jared realized that the women could have killed him anytime they wanted but they didn’t. Loretta was the most powerful shaman known but she kept him alive. And Samantha.

She saved Jensen from Steve when Jared had trusted the man implicitly so he owed her something for that.

“Samantha you, and Loretta you, are safe, but if there is a hint of betrayal then I will kill you myself, but Sam, Sandy will face trial along with the other traitors.”

“Jared,” she cried as she reached towards him.

“No Sam, not Jared, Alpha! Rightfully she should die, but because of you she’s getting a trial. That’s the best I can do for you.

“Yes Alpha,” she agreed.

“Loretta, you were with him for years, tell me why did he want Jensen so bad that he would cause so much bloodshed?” 

Jared needed to know this because all of the time Jeff had been trying to claim Jensen there had been no declaration of love or bonding, because that was something that the Alpha could understand. Jensen’s love was worth dying over.

“It was foretold since Luna blessed us with male omegas that there would be a special one born, and after bloodshed and betrayal he and his Alpha would become great rulers.”

“To the Omega and his Alpha, there would be born the trinity, the Alpha, Beta and Omega who would peacefully unite all of the packs,” Samantha chimed in.

“With your death he would have attempted to sire the next trinity and the packs would still unite under the illusion that he could bring fulfill the prophecy, but once they realized that he couldn’t there would have been bloodshed like nothing you’ve seen before.”

“That was his plan, but had he managed to kill the pups, he couldn’t have sired the trinity-only you and Jensen could have done that. We would have had to wait another millennium for another perfect pair to be born,” Loretta explained. 

“Thank the gods that Luna prevailed. There is a lot of mending to do, but this pack can heal, but it starts with my family. I’m taking my mate back to the nest he made in anticipation of the pups arrival,” he told the women as he scooped the Omega up bridal style. “When he comes to I want him in a place where he is familiar and that makes him feel safe. Meg I trust implicitly to see to it that the pups make it back safely to the den.”  
“Jared,” Loretta stopped him, “the reason your friends betrayed you so easily was because of the visions I sent to them. They were bloody and deceptive, so please keep that in mind when you have the tribunal.”

“Did you get that vision, Megalyn?” Jared asked his friend. When she nodded yes, Jared smiled, “yet you didn’t defect.”

With the knowledge that the people that were closest to him and his family were strong and could resist the strongest magic, Jared turned and walked outside. Where his men had overcome Morgan’s faction now that they weren’t hiding behind Loretta’s magic.

“Jared please,” Misha begged as he walked past the bleeding man, “don’t let them hurt Matt,” he begged to the big man’s back.

Stopping for a moment Jared told him, “You did what you had to do for your mate, and I’m doing what I have to for mine.”

Once Jensen was softly ensconced in his nursery den, Jared stood aside and watched as the pups began to suckle. The tugging on Jensen’s teats caused the Omega to stir for the first time since the pups stopped Idris. It was the most beautiful thing that Jared had seen that night; tired, verdant eyes filled with love as they watched his pups nurse.

“Are you going to stand there all night?” He asked Jared with a tired smile.

“It’s…” Jared broke off when his voice choked on the emotion clogging his throat. “I couldn’t sense you, couldn’t feel our bond and I wanted to die.”

“Then I would have been mated to Chad because you know how seriously he takes you orders,” Jensen chuckled.

Jared’s answering growl told him that his mate didn’t find humor in the statement.

“Jeff?’ Jensen asked still not looking away from the pups.

“Gone. If I gave him the opportunity to hurt you again, then I’m not good enough to be yours or the pack's Alpha. Maybe Cha…”

“Don’t even complete that thought, Jensen demanded this time allowing his eyes to meet Jared’s hazel ones. “What are we going to do about Morgan’s supporters? Misha. Sandy. Steve.”

“Steve’s gone,” he stated, “but the others? They can’t stay, Jensen.”

“I know that but there’s enough blood on your hands. Let someone else mete out the punishment. You trusted Whitfield enough to seek shelter for me there, then trust him enough for the punishment as well.”

 

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Jensen felt boneless. A good hard knotting from his mate did that to him every time. The pups were out in the sun chasing rabbit for fun under the watchful eye of Chad and his new mate, Chris. 

Three pups meant little time for knotting so they took advantage of their alone time whenever they could. Jared was asleep and Jensen eased himself off the still semi-hard cock, kissed Jared and made his way across the cave to the spring. 

His legs felt like rubber, but if he didn’t move, Jared would knot him again and his ass needed the break. The water felt good as it crept into the sensitive nooks and crannies of his body. Settling in he reflected over the past few months and how everything has changed.

It was hard to believe that his friends had tried to help kill him or be a part of a regime that wanted to rule in fear and destruction. Misha, Sandy and Steve’s defection had been the hardest to take. Littermates fell for the lies and lifelong friendships fell apart at the mention of power and privilege. 

Jensen doesn’t believe that Morgan would have shared any of it, though. If these men would have turned so easily against a friend, sooner or later it would have turned on him and Jensen couldn’t see the man allowing them to strike first.

The trials had been hard, and in the end Charles was given total control of the punishment. Had Jared been doling out the punishment, there would have always been the accusations that he was either too lenient or too harsh. 

In a way that was true because Jensen knew his mate, and when he thought about all they had been through, the pyre would have been burning for days. Instead Charles made them omegas. Bondus omegas. 

Bondus was an old punishment; it was originally for those who betrayed Luna when she was earthbound, but now reserved for those who betray pack. Being branded Bondus meant that the omegas were available to anyone who wanted to use them, sexually or otherwise.

They were not the Omegas of Jensen’s ilk, proud fighters, and givers of life. They were the omegas that made them outsiders, living on the fringe of any pack that would have them near, and the worst part- any bonded pair was separated without the bond having been broken adding to their torture.

This was punishment.

After death the guilty no longer suffered, this way they would suffer forever because even when they died, no one would dis-honor Luna by offering the goddess a Bondus omega.  
Luna had decreed it so.

 

∆βΩ Epilogue 

The herd of elk are feeding on grasses that their fore-bearers have sustained them for centuries. There aren’t people that hunt them any longer, but when a midnight stallion, the largest in his herd encroached on their feeding grounds, they ran away.

It wasn’t as thought they were scared of the equine, but it’s as though a sense memory that echoed across the plains of an Alpha wolf and a stallion from centuries before chasing them with hand-made arrows piercing their skin was what made them a little skittish. This was the place where the holy trinity were sired and born amid a great conflict. These grounds were sacred.

It was just the ghost of hunter and prey from long ago.

Below in the valley there were campfires from the people who trekked to this place that bore living gods. Around those campfires people still told stories about the day that the mates that bore the trinity were placed on the pyre as a tribute to Luna.

The aged mates were offered together and as thanks for fulfilling her prophecy instead of returning them to dust, Luna sent the flames of the pyre upwards until they rested in the heavens where they are able to look down on their pups.


End file.
